E • L • E • V • E • N

Edith Louisa Cavell: Courage in the Face of Duty

Barbara J. Patterson

Costa Rica postage stamp issued in 1945 honoring Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell (left). Canadian postage stamp issued in 1930 honoring Mount Edith Cavell (right).

The Germans arrested Edith Cavell on August 5, 1915, on charges of harboring Allied soldiers and organizing their escape across Belgium to neutral Holland. Despite the efforts of the American ambassador, Brand Whitlock, to obtain a mitigation of her sentence, Cavell was executed before a firing squad at 2:00 a.m. on October 12, 1915. Her last words are reported as

As a nurse during World War I, Edith Louisa Cavell (1865–1915) was faced with the challenge and duty of caring for all patients whether they were wounded Allied soldiers or Germans. Her commitment as a nurse to the care of every person transcended patriotism; it was who she was at her core. Edith has been quoted as saying, “I can’t stop while there are lives to be saved,” which captured her conviction to help anyone in need (Judson, 1941, p. 236). Although some accounts of her nursing leadership portray her as a strict and dour matron, Cavell’s actions reflected her vision and the recognition of others. These actions to encourage the heart were characteristic of her life and they continue after her death.

Edith Cavell exemplified the leadership practice of encouraging the heart. The word encouragement literally means to give others heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). Kouzes and Posner (2012) describe the practice of encouraging the heart as originating from the love leaders possess for what they do, the people they work with, and the accomplishments they achieve. This practice requires leaders to exhibit courage.

Courage is how leaders inspire others to reach their common goals. In facing the evil of war, Edith had the courage to assume the role of a nurse leader during a dark time in the history of the world. Brown (2007, p. 8) described Edith’s courage as “not simply a matter of perseverance,” but also as her duty and dedication, as a nurse, to relieve suffering for all. Edith also expressed the courage and strength of character to assume the risk of changing nursing in Belgium, not an easy task for a woman in the early 20th century. She had a strong sense of social justice and made a difference as a nursing leader.

Edith’s journey to becoming a leader in nursing was a relatively brief one, but it had tremendous impact across several continents. Born on December 4, 1865, Edith Louisa Cavell spent her childhood in the English village of Swardeston in the county of Norfolk on England’s east coast. She was the first-born child of Reverend Frederick and Louisa Cavell.

ASSUMING HER DUTY TO HUMANITY

For Edith Cavell, the decision to become a nurse had its origin in her upbringing in a Victorian English household. This was a time when women had tremendous constraints on occupational choices beyond becoming a governess or nurse. Edith grew up in a house with a strict orthodox upbringing. Her father was a vicar of an Anglican church and was the person who took charge of her educational trajectory (Batten, 2007). His manner was strict, demanding, and firm, thus setting the stage for her future and creating an expectation of hard work. There was routine with little change for those who lived in the English countryside.

Under a shadow of duty, it was during Edith’s early years that she acquired her social values and a worldview of serving others in need, those who were less fortunate. This became her moral standard. Roots for a common treatment of humanity were deeply established within Edith. Her Christian belief system to encourage the heart was well established as a young girl and provided the foundation for her future endeavors. Likewise, Edith was credited with challenging the process in her early teenage years when the need for a parish Sunday school building became apparent. Without her parents’ support, she wrote directly to the Bishop of Norwich, asking for financial assistance. Although initially not supported by the Bishop, undeterred, Edith ultimately acquired the money necessary to build the school (Judson, 1941). These values formed the foundation for her future work. Her unprivileged beginnings instilled in Edith the quality of humility, later exhibited as a leader in her years as a matron of nursing.

Reverend Cavell provided most of her primary education in the family home and, at the age of 16, he sent Edith to London and western England to three different boarding schools in order to broaden her knowledge and exposure to the arts (Souhami, 2010). Given Edith’s social class, this education was designed to prepare her for a life of marriage or, if not marriage, respectable employment as a governess. Alternatively, she could become a nurse, an occupation of mixed regard at the time.

In 1889, Edith Cavell traveled on holiday to the Bavarian province in Germany and had her first sense that nursing might be the profession for her (Batten, 2007). She visited an institution that offered free medical care, the Free Hospital. This experience had a lasting impact. The compassion she felt for others contributed to her selfless sense of duty (Walker, 2003). Edith was quoted as saying to her cousin “Someday, somehow, I am going to do something useful.… I don’t know what it will be, but it must be something for people” (Grey, 1960, p. 16).

Over the next 8 years, Edith was a governess for several different families. It was her last post with the François family in Brussels that introduced Edith to life in Europe. In Belgium, she was able to perfect her French. Culturally, she experienced a refined lifestyle, unlike her life at home in Swardeston. It was during her time with the François family that Edith demonstrated independence and the courage to stand up for her beliefs, another quality that she would demonstrate throughout her professional nursing career. There occurred an incident when Paul François offered a rude comment about the Queen of England, and despite the fact that he was her employer, Edith had the character to voice indignation in defense of the monarch (Batten, 2007). Reflecting on these times as a governess, Edith has been quoted as saying, “How little did I realize at the time that particular experience would be so valuable, but it was just what I needed to help me with the work I was to do later” (Judson, 1941, p. 29).

Life as a governess took a turn for Edith Cavell in 1895. Nursing, as a career path, was validated by the experience of caring for her father. Despite Edith’s two sisters being nurses, she left Brussels and her governess’s position to return home to care for her father when he became ill. The personal satisfaction she felt with this episode brought her thoughts of being a nurse once again to the forefront. Her desire and perceived destiny to help others became a reality with her choice to pursue nursing.

Fortunately, the social profile of being a nurse in England in the mid to late 19th century was beginning to improve through the efforts of Florence Nightingale (Souhami, 2010). Nightingale had raised the standards of nursing as a profession, and nurses were making a difference in patient care. For nurses and nurse leaders at this time, Nightingale modeled the way in the education and preparation of nurses to be dedicated professionals. It was also during this time that the suffragist movement was emerging in urban settings, such as London, and women’s roles were beginning to change.

To achieve her professional goal, at age 30, Edith Cavell applied to become a probationer or student nurse at the London Hospital in Whitechapel. The London Hospital was where Edith trained as a nurse in accordance with the Nightingale educational model. The demands of being a probationer nurse were significant. The hours were long and arduous with little financial compensation. The community in which the nurses worked contained mostly destitute and underprivileged individuals (Souhami, 2010). Edith accepted these challenges, and she believed nursing would lead to the social reforms that were desperately needed during this time.

Eva Lückes, a disciple of Florence Nightingale, was the matron of the London Hospital and introduced many reforms into the education of nurses (Souhami, 2010). She embodied the five leadership practices of Kouzes and Posner during her time as matron. She was considered a strict disciplinarian and served as a role model for Edith Cavell. A leader in early nursing education, Matron Lückes envisioned a training school for nurses where they had lectures from physicians and students took examinations. She created a structured educational program, which included anatomy and physiology. Fighting for better working and training conditions for her nurses, Lückes told the hospital board “The best way to predict the future is to create it—and you create it by strategy, structure, and resources” (Souhami, 2010, p. 15). The resources were her probationer nurses. The school was recognized in England for its reputation of training competent nurses. Inspiring a shared vision, Lückes has been described as having “possessed vision, the vision to see in the future the trained nurse—an intelligent woman of more than average education, working under fair and comfortable conditions and thereby giving more efficient care to her patient” (Judson, 1941, p. 44).

Under Lückes’s leadership, the London Hospital acquired recognition throughout Europe as a model of nursing education (Judson, 1941). The London Hospital, grounded in Nightingale’s philosophy of nursing care, provided Edith Cavell with the context for developing her leadership skills under the exemplary role model of Eva Lückes. Setting the example and modeling the way for nursing education, the leadership exhibited by Matron Lückes was admired and respected by Edith for many years.

It has been noted that, apart from Edith’s mother, Lückes made the greatest impression on Cavell (Judson, 1941). She spoke of her training experience with fondness, describing her feelings about the school, “No place will ever be to me what the ‘London’ was nor any Matron like the one under whom I trained” (Judson, 1941, p. 48). Lückes wrote an annual Christmas letter to her nurses, encouraging the heart and maintaining a sense of community among the nurses. Lückes would correspond with graduates individually regarding advances in patient care (Judson, 1941). From the time Edith started her school of nursing in Brussels in 1907 and her death in 1915, she remained in contact with Matron Lückes.

In 1901, a new opportunity to teach nursing arose for Edith Cavell. Edith was ready for a change and new challenges; she accepted the position of assistant matron at Shoreditch Infirmary. The matron at Shoreditch described Edith as someone with “hidden resources within her. Her reserved manner in another person would have appeared to be snobbery, but in Edith Cavell, it was a grave dignity that filled her associates with deep admiration for her” (Judson, 1941, p. 73). She supervised and taught a nursing staff of 120. Setting an example by visiting children in their homes after discharge from the infirmary, she was a role model for her senior probationer nurses through her personal behavior. The nurses looked up to Cavell as their leader.

Edith Cavell’s sense of duty, responsibility to humanity, and desire to advance the nursing profession established standards that were emulated by her students. She led by example and never sought personal praise or attention. Humility was a virtue deeply embedded within Edith. Her seriousness did, however, influence her interactions with others. Edith lacked a sense of humor (Judson, 1941). Whether it was the influence of her puritanical upbringing or a personal limitation, she had difficulty in appreciating the humorous aspects of day-to-day life. This quality never appeared to impact Edith’s work and dedication to others; however, as a leader it may have influenced her ability to encourage the heart.

By 1906, Edith Cavell had been in nursing 10 years and she expressed a desire to have a greater impact. She felt it was her moral obligation. There remained an internal unrest within her. She left her position at Shoreditch and traveled abroad several months for a much-needed rest and exploration of her own desires. In correspondence with her former matron, Eva Lückes, Edith expressed concerns about the challenges of securing another position upon return from holiday (Souhami, 2010).

Returning from abroad, Edith applied for various teaching positions and she received multiple rejections (Arthur, 2011). Edith had vast experience in nursing but she had not received strong recommendations from others. She was discouraged and frustrated. Her age, quiet demeanor, and retiring style may not have served her well at this time. Although somewhat disheartened, she ultimately secured a temporary position as a district nurse and remained there until she received the offer to start a school of nursing in Belgium. Edith felt she had more to give during her lifetime than what she had already accomplished. During these years, her letters reflected her passionate desire and capacity to help others, without an emphasis on ambition and self-advancement (Brown, 2007). Her resolve and personal qualities of humility, courage, and compassion provided the framework for her leadership.

The opportunity to make a difference arrived in a letter, which changed Edith Cavell’s life dramatically. She was asked to start the first training school for nurses in Belgium. This was the challenge Edith most wanted and she was well suited for it. Dr. Antoine Depage, a leading surgeon in Brussels, was a medical visionary who sought nurses trained like those under the Nightingale model in London (Souhami, 2010). Edith had all of the characteristics Dr. Depage desired, an English nurse trained in a leading London hospital, fluent in French, and familiar with the Belgian way of life. Edith recognized this position as both a challenge and an enormous undertaking. Her desire to make a significant contribution to humanity and to implement her leadership skills by establishing a training school for nurses was now a reality. She accepted the offer and left for Brussels with all of the zeal and energy needed to change nursing practice in Belgium. Her life journey to make a real difference had started.

ENCOURAGING THE HEART: CHANGING NURSING IN BELGIUM

Having been trained under the Nightingale educational model in England, Edith Cavell experienced the shift felt in the early years toward a positive regard for nursing from the English people and an accompanying sense of professionalism. Although nursing was a relatively young profession in England, there was a respect and acknowledgment of nurses’ training. Arriving in Belgium in late 1907, Edith encountered a culture in which professional nursing was unknown and the training of nurses mirrored conditions as they had been in England before Nightingale’s influence. In recognition of her nursing skills, teaching abilities, and leadership qualities, she was chosen by a leading physician in Belgium to be matron of the first nurses’ training school at the Berkendael Institute, a progressive teaching hospital in Brussels. Nursing in Brussels presented challenges Edith did not anticipate.

Reforming and setting the standards for nursing in Belgium was not an easy task. When Edith arrived in Belgium, the Catholic Sisters managed the care of the sick. These devoted women “were absolutely untrained in modern methods of nursing; rather they were imbued with the medieval routine prevalent in the Convent, and were wholly ignorant of the progress achieved since the time of Florence Nightingale” (Judson, 1941, p. 97). Introducing modern nursing to the care of the sick resulted in major conflicts with deeply held traditional attitudes. Having lived and worked in Belgium as a governess proved invaluable in making the changes crucial to nursing and ultimately to patient care. Nevertheless, “even her energy and courage were solely taxed amid the confusion, the lack of organized leadership, and the general attitude of irresponsibility” that Edith encountered in the first few years in trying to change the practice of nursing (Judson, 1941, p. 103).

Within a few days of her arrival in Brussels, Edith Cavell was interviewing prospective nurse probationers. Five students comprised the first class. Inspiring a shared vision, Edith wrote to Eva Lückes, “It is pioneer work here and needs much enthusiasm and courage and intelligence, as there are many looking askance at it. It will also require great tack. I hope to pull through this and soon have a model school” (Arthur, 2011, p. 62). Edith spoke with conviction to the probationers about how important it was for nursing to be recognized as a profession. To Edith, this meant nurses were to be treated with dignity and respect and not as a servant for the physician. There was a deeply ingrained stigma about nurses being little more than maids that had to be overcome (Batten, 2007).

Challenging the process, Edith set out to transform four dilapidated buildings into a school to train nurses. She would need to make decisions about classroom space, equipment, living accommodations, and an educational curriculum. The school was being built from scratch. This transformation required convincing the Ladies’ Committee that nurses needed to understand anatomy and physiology in order to provide the best nursing care for their patients. The nursing curriculum Edith proposed was rigorous and, for some, it was threatening. The training was far more advanced than most nursing programs of the time. Edith’s vision was to see the role of nursing change dramatically. In her leadership, she set a personal example of her expectations of the probationers to accomplish this goal. Although her conviction fueled this opportunity, it was also a risk. This would be just one example of a pattern of risks she assumed throughout her entire life.

To change the public perception of nurses, Edith Cavell mandated a change in uniforms for her nurses. The Sisters wore heavy, drab black uniforms. Edith envisioned her nurses wearing crisp blue cotton dresses with starched white collars, cuffs, and aprons with a simple cap (Arthur, 2011). Exhibiting a professional appearance was a first crucial step in securing this new future for nursing; the difference in clothing was described as “a contrast of the unhygienic past with the enlightened present” (Batten, 2007, p. 37).

Recruiting new probationers in Brussels was a challenge for Edith Cavell. Belgians believed that for a woman to become a nurse was “tantamount to sacrificing her place in society” (Arthur, 2006, p. 31). Nevertheless, Edith refused to lower her standards just to increase enrollment in her school. In 1908, to advertise the accomplishments of the school and attract new trainees from other countries, Edith published an article about the school in London’s Nursing Mirror. She shared the objectives of the training of the school’s nurses as “first to create a profession for women; secondly to forward the cause of science; thirdly to provide the best possible help for the sick and suffering” (Souhami, 2010, p. 104). Additionally, Edith shared her vision of nursing through public lectures about the school in Brussels. As part of a Belgian nursing delegation to the International Congress of Nurses in London, she shared the school’s progress and its mission and goals. Edith met with success; by 1909, there were 23 probationers enrolled in the training program (Souhami, 2010). The school and its matron were gaining an international reputation.

One recruit, who responded to the Nursing Mirror article, was Sister Elizabeth Wilkins. She applied to the school to be an assistant matron to Edith Cavell. Sister Wilkins spoke French and was very well qualified for this position. She described her ambitions as a nurse to be similar to that of both Florence Nightingale and Cavell herself. She was devoted to nursing and shared in her interview with Edith that she had much to learn and stated, “I strongly believe my destiny is in Brussels, working under your leadership” (Arthur, 2011, p. 77). Sister Wilkins remained loyal and supportive of Edith throughout the remainder of Edith’s life.

Edith Cavell hired Sister Wilkins for the position of assistant matron. Edith had grown and matured as a leader during this period of growth for the school. As the matron, she had the authority and power to accomplish much. For Edith, however, leadership was not about power and control; she remained focused on her duty to humanity and was confident and secure in her own reserve. By enabling others to act, “Exemplary leaders build an environment that develops both people’s abilities to perform a task and their self-confidence.… Leaders significantly increase people’s belief in their own ability to make a difference” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 243). Sister Wilkins was the individual who Edith enabled, strengthened, and involved in making important decisions about the school.

ENCOURAGING THE HEART: THE MATRON

The atmosphere Matron Cavell created in the school was one of high standards and a professional sensibility. As articulated by Kouzes and Posner (2012), a leader needs to be clear about goals and expectations. Edith Cavell’s goals and values set the course of action for her as she modeled the way for the probationer nurses. There was nothing Edith would expect her nurses to do that she herself did not do. She set high standards for her nurses and was portrayed as a firm, strict disciplinarian. Starting with her first class of five students, she said, “We expect you to bring passion, determination, perseverance, and a strong sense of commitment to the profession.… To do this work, you must study hard” (Arthur, 2011, p. 66). The probationers had to be women of suitable character with professional qualifications.

Edith Cavell inspired her nurses through her courage and hopes for the profession. She was a very private, solitary person, and praising others did not come easily. However, her love for others and the work they were doing together provided recognition of their accomplishments. As a leader, her encouragement would energize the nurses. Edith demonstrated encouraging the heart by creating a sense of community among the nurses. Weekly tea parties and musical evenings were customs that Edith brought from her own training with Eva Lückes. Additionally, Edith had informal interactions with the students that focused on nursing within the “philosophical context of service, vocation, duty, pride, honour, and professionalism” (Brown, 2007, p. 13). It was within this educational environment that the probationers described the school as a place where they were family (Batten, 2007).

Even after imprisonment, in a letter to her nurses, Edith continued to encourage the heart and communicate to them what they could accomplish. She wrote:

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Join