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Patriotism Is Not Enough: The Execution of Edith Cavell

Patriotism Is Not Enough: The Execution of Edith Cavell

Update: 2025-10-12
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On the morning of October 12, 1915, in German-occupied Brussels, a British nurse named Edith Cavell faced a firing squad. Her crime was compassion. She had sheltered Allied soldiers and helped them escape to neutral Holland, believing that saving lives mattered more than obeying military law. The Germans called it treason. The world called it murder. Her calm courage, her final words of forgiveness, and her refusal to hate turned her into a global symbol of conscience in wartime. In Britain, her death doubled recruitment and fueled outrage. In America, it hardened hearts against Germany. But beyond propaganda, Edith Cavell’s story is about one woman’s unwavering belief that mercy knows no borders. In this episode of Dave Does History, we look back at her life, her faith, and the day the world learned that even in war, decency can stand its ground against power.

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Patriotism Is Not Enough: The Execution of Edith Cavell

Patriotism Is Not Enough: The Execution of Edith Cavell

Dave Bowman