Edith Cavell

The grave of Edith Cavell can be found just outside Norwich Cathedral.

Edith Louisa Cavell (/ˈkævəl/ KAV-əl; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Cavell was arrested, court-martialled under German military law and sentenced to death by firing squad. Despite international pressure for mercy, the German government refused to commute her sentence, and she was shot. The execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.

The night before her execution, she said, “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone”. These words were inscribed on the Edith Cavell Memorial^[1] opposite the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square. Her strong Anglican beliefs propelled her to help all those who needed it, including both German and Allied soldiers. She was quoted as saying, “I can’t stop while there are lives to be saved.”^[2] The Church of England commemorates her in its Calendar of Saints on 12 October.

Cavell, who was 49 at the time of her execution, was already notable as a pioneer of modern nursing in Belgium.

Arundel took part in the ‘There but not there’ national commemorative  project by installing 93 silhouettes representing Arundel’s ‘Roll of Honour’.

The project’s aims were simple:

Commemorate those who died in the First World War through installations of silhouettes and Tommies wherever there is a Roll of Honour.

To Educate all generations, particularly today’s younger generation, born nearly 100 years after the outbreak of WW1, to understand what led to the deaths of 888,246 British and Commonwealth service personnel.

Heal today’s veterans who are suffering from the mental and physical wounds of their service by raising substantial funds through sales of our Tommies,

It is my turn at Vision & Verb today.  I am reflecting on the upcoming anniversary of  WW1 and the series of events that are planned to commemorate the occasion.

The testing program sets out to identify the individuals that have been killed in combat and will be the largest undertaking of this kind to date.

From the press release:

The group burial in Fromelles was confirmed during a limited excavation in May 2008 and it is thought that between 250 and 300 Australian and British soldiers were buried there by German forces after the Battle of Fromelles, which took place in 1916.

The decision to start full-scale DNA testing has been made after a successful pilot study which tested a cross-section of the Fromelles remains. Samples were taken from the teeth and bones of remains found in different parts of the burial sites to assess the overall quality and quantity of DNA that could be expected to be obtained.

A full archaeological excavation of the site is expected to be completed by the end of September and an identification board will convene in March 2010 to consider the available evidence that may lead to the identification of individual soldiers.

As well as the remains of bodies, the archaeological excavation has already resulted in the discovery of several items, including uniform adornments, such as belt hooks and vegetable ivory buttons, which are particular to certain uniforms and will assist in identifying whether individuals are of British or Australian nationality.

Following the formal identifications the soldiers will be laid to rest with the due dignity they deserve.

• My original post

• Fromells military cemetary web page

• Commonwealth War Grave Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) have set up a new website that explains a current project, which sets out to move the remains of more than 600 casualties from Pheasant Wood to new military cemetery at Fromelles for their reburial.

In May 2008, after several years of painstaking research and investigation, five burial pits dating from the First World War were identified at Pheasant Wood, near Fromelles in northern France.  The pits, which have lain undisturbed for more than 90 years, are believed to contain the remains of between 250 and 400 British and Australian soldiers, buried behind German lines after the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

The British and Australian governments have asked the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to oversee the operation to recover the remains and to create a new military cemetery at Fromelles for their reburial.  The work began in May 2009 and will be completed by July 2010.

The website explains that the attack at Fromelles took place during the night of 19th July 1916 and that by the time the action was called off in the morning, 5,533 Australians had either lost their lives or were wounded and missing.  The casualties amongst the British who fought alongside them were 1,547.

I think this is worthy project and a fitting way to commemorate those who suffered to make the world a better place.