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.

Breakfast took a lot longer to arrive that it had done the previous morning and we were treated to those two young girls who were sleeping in my previous post babbling on about socks and the ability to put them on. Thankfully, we were ready and waiting to meet Wiggia and Mrs W when they arrived to pick us up at our hotel. It was lovely to meet them for the first time, two years later than planned. Covid-19 and the seemingly endless lockdowns scuppered our original plan to visit Norfolk in 2020.

There was much amiable chatting and laughter in the car as we travelled to and from Castle Acre. Castle Acre has both priory and castle ruins, but before visiting either we stopped off in the village for refreshments. It was a little too soon after breakfast for me to be tempted by the delicious cakes that were on offer so I settled for a cup of tea. Next, we visited the priory which has a large footprint with some unique features I have not seen before. The English Heritage staff were excited about the recently opened rooms in the Prior’s lodging. Only Mr C ventured up the extremely narrow winding staircase. On his return he said that we hadn’t missed much. Wiggia told us that the priory had changed quite a bit since he last visited the site.

Next we visited the castle where the earthwork remains are impressive but not much remains of the castle buildings. Mr C explored the higher reaches whilst Wiggia and I chatted on the lower levels. After the castle it was time to return to the hotel and say our goodbyes. Thank you Wiggia and Mrs W we enjoyed our time with you and we are already looking forward to the next time, hopefully soon.

We headed into Norwich and the Cathedral stopping for a drink on the way (we still weren’t hungry, it must have been the heat and humidity). We didn’t get the best Cathedral experience because the organ was being restored. The sheeting and scaffolding around the organ and pipes sort of cut the Cathedral in half.

We had time to chill out before our meal in The Fox. The restaurant had looked promising but somehow fell short on delivery. My first choice of meal had run out (unfortunate, it happens) but when Mr C’s meal arrived the steak wasn’t cooked to his requirement. He sent it back and his plate was returned almost immediately with the correct steak on his plate. The chef had served the wrong steak on the plate. It wasn’t the only order that arrived incorrectly, people on the table next to us also returned items to the kitchen.

Back at the hotel terrace we planned what we might do with the friends that we were due to meet the next day.