# Canonical recap data for Edith Cavell Executed by German Forces (1915)
# Source: https://recap.at/1915/edith-cavell-execution
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: edith-cavell-execution
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1915/edith-cavell-execution"
title: Edith Cavell Executed by German Forces
subtitle: The British nurse's execution for aiding Allied soldiers mobilized international outrage and shaped propaganda narratives during the First World War.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1915-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1915
decade: 1910
country:
name: Belgium
slug: belgium
summaryShort: Edith Louisa Cavell 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
summaryLong: Edith Louisa Cavell 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Edith_Cavell.jpg/1280px-Edith_Cavell.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Edith Cavell"
importance: 71
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell"
  title: Edith Cavell
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and f
wikidataQid: Q237564
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260626150237/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-26
  label: Edith Cavell
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell"
