A Noble Woman

lized in the tyrannous execution of Edith Cavell; and all classes, from the highest to the lowest, were desirous of te

om the King and Queen to Mrs. Cavell, t

ngham

er 23,

r bitter sorrow, and to express their horror at the appalling deed which has robbed you of your child. Men and women throug

ear Madam, you

mfor

ugh the medium of the Rector o

gs of Her Majesty as she spoke to me of Miss Cavell's death. Her Majesty's first thought was of you, and I was to tell you how deeply, very deeply, Her Majesty sympathizes with you. "Her poor, poor mother. I go on thinking of her," were Her Majesty's words. The women of England

he nursing profession, and the following letter of sympathy addressed to Mrs. Cavell from the Pres

you in the bereavement which has fallen on you in such tragic circumstances. Your daughter's heroic death is one which will always remain a lasting mem

h Ambassador in London, received from the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Ch

re to offer to the members of the House of Commons the expression of the respect and admiration which they feel for the noble heroine of Briti

his Government, the Belgian Min

rsal sentiment of admiration and gratitude the name of Miss Cavell with that of the many Belgian women who have already f

Memorial

morial service held in St. Paul's Cathedral on October 29, 1915. It was a fitting and touching token of affection and ad

of service, the weather-worn old sanctuary commenced to gleam in pale sunshine, as if

never in its history had it witnessed a spectacle quite like the present occasion, which had its ori

King and Queen. It had been expected that Queen Alexandra would be similarly represented, but Her Majesty preferred to attend in person in st

he aged mother was not present; she was too weighed down by weight of years and sorrow to face a public ordeal whose pathos would have been too poignant to bear. In ima

resentative of the Navy; the Diplomatic Corps; the High Commissioners of Canada and Australia; the Deputy Lord Mayor and Sheriffs in state; and notable representatives of the arts, sciences, commerce, &c. For the rest there was a vast con

training school in Belgium; and, of course, the 'London,' in their dark rifle green, had a prominent place in the great company of nurses of all grades, ambassadors and delegates of their noble profession. Many of them were si

s provided the only note of colour in the touch of red at the capes; for even the band of th

k and the maimed by 'a noble type of good heroic womanhood.' Of the whole immense gathering the majority were women. A large proportion of them were in black, the significant badg

emotion in the massed assembly and brought it to its feet. Slowly the choir, headed by the symbol of our and Edith Cavell's faith

d reverence. The last verse in particular must have called to every mind that inexpressibly sad scene in St. Gilles' Prison. The words brou

March in Saul; and as the notes pulsed and throbbed, pealed out with mighty rush of sound, or decreased to li

Chrysostom, the beautiful prayer that contrasted so strongly with the crashin

ngregation sang 'Through the night of doubt and sorrow,' with its happy marching swing; the Bishop of London pronounced the Benediction; then came the resonant notes of the National Anthem; and the or

out into the hum of the mightiest camp of men the world has ever known. It was like coming from the Holy of H

diate circle of friends. She had 'lived unknown till persecution dragged her into fame and chased her up to heaven,' as a cry of hor

death of the martyr as an irresistibly compelling call to duty; and innumerable suggestions were mad

new nursing home, which was to bear the name of Queen Alexandra. With true nobility of heart Queen Alexandra promptly requested th

n national memories. Edith Cavell's death first became known in England on Trafalgar Day. The base of the Nelson Monument was hidden under the customary floral tributes to our greatest naval hero, and amid them was placed a wreath of laurels, a symbol of the martyrdom of the heroic nurse, of which the public would learn through the press the following day

ed and vivified by the noble life and death of their devoted countrywoman. But the true spirit of Britons negatived the necessity for a particular regiment. The next day a

of a new Order, equivalent to the Victoria Cross, for heroism by women of our race and Empire; and the

g Edward VII's Hospital, Cardiff, by Sir W. J. Thomas. There speedily followed the proposed institution of other beds to be named after Miss Cavell: the City of Dublin Hospital asked for ￡500 to endo

those either convalescent or tired, or who required a temporary home on holiday from abroad, or a temporary place of

t Home for Ladies in Reduced Circumstances. He announced that in memory of Miss Cavell he would build twenty-four cottage homes for incapa