Head of a specialized school in Brussels, Belgium, for training nurses, Edith Cavell became part of a group that helped soldiers and other refugees escape from the German army during World War I. She was eventually arrested, tried by a German military court, and sentenced to death. Despite widespread protests, Cavell was executed by a firing squad and became a martyr to the public.

Born in Swardeston, England, Edith Cavell was taught at a young age by her minister father that it was her duty to help others. After working for several years as a governess in England and then Brussels, Cavell returned home in 1895 to care for her father during a brief illness. This experience led her to become a nurse. She trained at London Hospital, during which time she helped care for victims of an epidemic of typhoid fever and subsequently received the Maidstone Medal for...