Edith Cavell: On Trial in the Belgian Senate Chamber

On October 7, 1915, German officers crowded into the magnificent Belgian senate chamber in Brussels. The ceiling was decorated with gold. The walls were covered with rich wood paneling. Although the red velvet seats were embroidered with the Lion of Belgium, few Belgians were allowed to attend this event, except those the German officers had come to see. Thirty-five prisoners—most of them Belgian and many of whom had never seen each other before—filed into the room under guard. Six of them were given seats that faced the judges. Between each of these six stood a soldier with a fixed bayonet.

The first prisoner called to testify at this trial was not Belgian but British. Her name was Edith Cavell.


Opening paragraphs of "Edith Cavell: 'Patriotism is not enough'" from Women Heroes of World War I.