Bidspirit auction | CAVELL EDITH: (1865-1915)


CAVELL EDITH: (1865-1915) - CAVELL EDITH: (1865-1915) British nurse and patriot, celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I. Cavell was arrested, court-martialled and found guilty of treason for her actions. Sentenced to death, the nurse was executed by a German firing squad. Rare A.L.S., with her initial E , to the verso of a picture postcard of the Chapel in the High Street at Mundesley, Norfolk, n.d. (postmark indistinct, c.1913/14), to her mother in Norwich. In bold pencil Cavell writes, in full, ' Mundesley much changed & much grown '. Addressed in her hand ' Mrs. Cavell, 24 College Rd, Norwich '. Autographs of Cavell are rare in any form as a result of her tragic execution at the age of 49. Some extremely minor, light age wear, and the image neatly detached from the verso (although the two could easily be re-united by a professional restorer without detriment), otherwise VG The present postcard most likely dates from around the time of the outbreak of World War I when Cavell was visiting her widowed mother in Norfolk.