St John's Cathedral, Brisbane and the Anzac Legend

During and after the war, in countries as far away as South Africa and Mauritius, numerous places and institutions were named after Cavell, including a residential quarter for nurses at the Royal Brisbane Hospital in Queensland. Many memorials were also erected to her memory. In 1916 a silent movie was made of her in Australia entitled The Martyrdom of Nurse Cavell which proved highly popular. The Anglican Church in England commemorates Cavell in its Calendar of Saints. Nevertheless, it is likely that Cavell would have been dismayed how allied governments used her death as a weapon against Germany. On the night before her death she was visited by an Anglican chaplain, the Reverend Stirling Gahan. She told him that she felt no bitterness towards her captors. She said: “I am thankful to have had these ten weeks of quiet [in prison] to get ready. Now I have had them and have been kindly treated here. I expected my sentence and I believe it was just. Standing as I do in view of God and Eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.” The need to ensure that war does not get in the way of perceiving and treating one’s enemy fairly— particularly protecting prisoners of war—is reflected in modern rules of warfare.

Soldiers fighting in the heat of battle have not always shown respect for their foes and captured combatants. Even Anzacs caught up in the ferocity of Gallipoli, the Western Front and the war against Japan in 1942-1945 were not immune from committing acts of revenge against unarmed enemy combatants or soldiers who had surrendered; some specifically acting under orders to “take no quarter” —meaning to take no prisoners. Under current policy, the Australian Defence Force, like that of other western countries, requires that its personnel adhere strictly to ‘Rules of Engagement’ which are based on principles of fairness and respect for life. They include avoiding civilian casualties, prohibiting genocide and torture, keeping Red Cross/Red Crescent zones safe, and ensuring the safety of captured combatants. Edith Cavell would surely have approved of these rules which reflected her values, especially the duty to protect prisoners of war. Farewelling her on the eve of her execution, Chaplain Gahan remarked to Cavell, “We shall always remember you as a heroine and a martyr”, to which she replied, “Don’t think of me like that. Think of me as a nurse who tried to do her duty.” The Edith Cavell window in St John’s Cathedral recalls Cavell’s humanity, which crossed political and national allegiances, by incorporating her famous words to the Reverend Gahan “patriotism is not enough”.

Australian soldiers visit the Champ de tir in Brussels, where Edith Cavell was executed, after the First World War. The stone on the ground marks the exact spot of her execution.

Imperial War Museum, London E(AUS)4086A

47