With Edith Cavell in Belgium

Foreword

In giving to the public this simple and appealing story written by Miss Van Til, we wish to say that the proceeds of its sale are to be devoted to the work of the Richmond Memorial Hospital, Princess Bay, Staten Island.

Miss Van Til hopes to found here in this country community, located within the limits of the World's Greatest City, a training school and home for nurses, in memory of Miss Cavell.

Fortunately for us, our little institution seems to have revived in her appealing memories of that other ''little Hospital," the ''Clinique," at Nos. 143-149 "rue de la Culture."

Certain it is that at least one of her nurses has kept the faith so bravely handed on to them in the wonderful letter of October loth, 191 5, "Cultivate in your life more loyalty and a Holy spirit."

Inez Corcilius,

For the Trustees.

Introduction

When, a year ago, I came to the United States, I was often forced to speak in broken English about the five wonderful years which I spent in Brussels under the same roof with England's martyred nurse, Edith Cavell.

Many persons seemed to be interested in what I had to say ; among them was a friend, Mr. Jose de Muro, who advised me to write for the American people what I knew of Miss Cavell's life while with her in Belgium.

I tried, but my slight knowledge of the English language made my task a very difficult one.

I am aware that many pages of this humble narrative are not of great literary merit. But I do claim that every word of it is true.

Jacqueline Van Til,

Former Trained Nurse of Edith Cavell, Brussels.

White Plains, April 27, 1921.

Jacqueline Van Til, R. N.

Chapter I

It was in the month of December, 1910, that a friend and I were going, for the first time, to the "Edith Cavell CHnique," called "L'ecole Beige pour les Infirmieres Diplomees," in Brussels.

The weather was very cold that evening, when we rang the bell at what was to be our future home, and we were not sorry to have reached a place of shelter. A well-dressed maid opened the door, and conducted us to the room where Miss Edith Cavell was at work. This was the first time we had met. She made a deep impression on us. I distinctly remember that we felt quite uneasy at her gaze, for she impressed us as being very tall and distinguished. At that time of her life, she was about forty years of age. Her eyes

P'

(l0t /a '"^ll'tnrf.

Original letter of Edith Cavell, which I received from her in 1910.

I49» Rue de la Culture,

Brussels, Telephone 9559.

Mademoiselle :

I have the pleasure of informing you that you are accepted as a pupil nurse on probation as well as your friend, Miss Stenton.

Will you have the kindness to inform me on what day you will be free to enter our school ?

E. Cavell,

Directrice. loth October, 1910.

II were blue; they would soften while she talked to us, but would become very stern and dark, when the little maid that was there dared to interrupt us. Her mouth was expressive, the lines around it were hard, both lips were extremely thin, — a trait that denoted strength of will and firmness of character. Her hair, a dark blonde, with silver strands at the temples, was neatly coiled on the back of her head. Her voice was clear and precise, and she spoke the French language with a charming English accent. Her movements were simple, and her little hand felt very soft when she grasped ours to welcome us to her home. She conducted us to our rooms and showed us the places where the nurses were allowed to go, and where they could amuse themselves with music or with needle-work.

Our ''clinique" was not very large; and from the outside looked rather poor and inadequate. It was composed of four ordinary houses, two of them for the patients and two for the nurses and the servants. The numbers of the latter were 149 and 147, and those of the former 145 and 143. They were situated in the '*rue de la Culture," a street that formed part of a suburb of Brussels named 'Txelles," and were about an hour's walk from that city.

Because those four houses were much too small to contain all the nurses, Miss Cavell had decided to lodge some of the latter in another house at No. 140, in the same street, where she rented ten rooms for the private nurses, the publichealth nurses, and nurses who worked outside the little ''clinique."

The patients' rooms were well furnished and were painted white. The small operating-room was very well equipped indeed. Many patients were quite thankful to go to the small ''clinique,'* which was sometimes called '"The English Nursing Home," in the ''rue de la Culture."

In these houses we had room for thirty patients and each one had his own doctor. These were all private cases, but sometimes we nursed some poor chronic cases from the community, though, as a rule, we had only well-paying patients.

The nurses were obliged to be trained in different hospitals, as the ''clinique" was too small to give them a good training. These nurses were, for the first year, under Miss Edith Cavell's special care, and they were given lectures and received practical training from fourteen physicians. The second year, she sent them to the different hospitals which she had founded during the time she was there; and, after three years of training elsewhere, they came back to her own hospital, where she perfected them in the science of nursing the sick.

Until now, there were very few Belgian girls at the *'clinique," as our Belgian people were not yet able to understand the meaning of Nursework. Most of us were strangers from different countries, — from Germany as well as from France and England; and all of us had to speak French when on duty. We were sixty in all, when my friend and I came here, in 1910, and I never shall forget how comical this little place seemed, filled as it was with the loud laughter and songs of the nurses, each in her own tongue.

Miss Cavell never objected to various nationalities, all she required of us was obedience to her orders as well as to those of her assistant supervisors. This we well knew, and in all the years that I served her, I never met with a nurse who dared to disobey.

During the first year, we stood in fear of her, for her remarks were oft-times severe and laconic. We never dared to come too late to table, knowing beforehand that we should encounter the stern reproach of her dark blue eyes, and the hard expression of her lips. How sorry I am, now, when I think of those moments during which we

Sister Wilkins and Jack, Miss Cavell's Shepherd Dog nurses used to talk together about her and criticise her as being too severe! We Httle understood at that time, that her task was so difficult; that she was all alone in looking after the organization and management of everything she had founded.

When, in the year 1907, she came to Brussels, as a private nurse to the Graux family. Dr. DePage, one of our great surgeons, noticed the wonderful gifts of this English nurse. This doctor had encountered many difficulties in his work, on account of not having been properly assisted in nursing. He wished to start real trained nursing for the sick in Belgium, as it existed already in England and Holland. He talked the matter over with some rich persons in his city, and with Miss Cavell's friends, the Graux family. A committee was formed, and they offered Miss Cavell the position of superintendent of a home where young girls could be trained as nurses.

For this purpose they rented four houses in the *Vue de la Culture," and had them arranged into a small *'clinique." Some publicity was given to the undertaking, and many posters were affixed to the walls of the houses of Brussels, with the words: ''Young Girls Wanted/' etc., written in large red letters.

i6 WITH EDITH CAVELL IN BELGIUM

When Miss Edith Cavell entered upon her new undertaking, in October, 1907, she had only four nurses, and two supervisors. The latter were English and did not know a word of French. Moreover, of these four nurses, three were Swiss girls, and the fourth was a Belgian girl, the only one of that nationality there.

Speaking to me on this subject, Miss Cavell said that the beginning had been very trying in the small "clinique." The doctors, she added, had been too familiar with the nurses, and the English rules of her hospital were not always followed.

Her will was strong, however, and she fought bravely against the lack of funds on the one hand, and the insincerity and narrow-mindedness of individuals on the other, but, in spite of these obstacles, she came off victorious.

After one year's experience of trained nursing, in her establishment in the *Vue de la Culture," the doctors began to value her abilities, and to treat the nurses with more respect.

It was at this time that, at the large Hospital of St. Gilles, under Dr. DePage, the nuns were dismissed, and Miss Cavell was installed in their place. The same change occurred in Dr. Meyer's sanatorium, where she laid down the first rules for the training of nurses, and, when I came, in 1 910, she was already at the head of several hospitals in Brussels, together with the Tuberculosis Hospital at Buysinghen, a little village in Wallonie, Belgium.

The same year, with only three workers, she placed nurses in the public-schools. In 191 5 there were twelve of them. She also sent trained nurses out on private cases.

Her task was very hard indeed, for the members of the committee had lost some interest in the small ''clinique," and financial help was lacking; so that Miss Cavell had to depend entirely upon herself for the management of everything; for the young nurses, whom she was striving to convert into useful help, were thoughtlessly amusing themselves, while she was worrying over the lack of funds and the many other difficulties she had to encounter in her task.

In the years 19 10 and 191 1 very few changes occurred. I attended the classes for trained nurses, and like the other nurses I was sent to the different hospitals. Miss Cavell, whom we were in the habit of calling "Madame," used to walk, three times a day, to and from the different places where she sent her nurses, and she was invariably followed there by her two dogs, Jack and Don.

i8 WITH EDITH CAVELL IN BELGIUM

I can still imagine I see her, walking along, with a slight stoop, accompanied by one of the patients, smiling pleasantly at the children whom she met along her way.

All the patients were fond of her, and in the whole ^'clinique," there was not a soul who could give more comfort to a suffering patient than she, and though she had many duties to fulfil, yet she always found time to sit at the bedside of pain and sorrow, where she would minister to the sick, and inwardly pray for the sufferer's soul.

Every night, at eight o'clock, we were required to attend the class-room, where it was her habit to instruct us in everything relating to the different diseases. She was indefatigable in teaching us, and never spared herself in anything that required labor. When I look back, now, to that time, I cannot help but feel ashamed of myself to think that I, sometimes, could scarcely keep awake during the lecture, and when she would say to me, in a soft voice, "Mile. Van Til, won't you please sit next to me ? I don't think that you can follow the lecture very well," I could not keep from showing my chagrin. During my first year with her she seemed not to take much notice of me, but often the nurses would be called to her office to be admonished for loud laughter, and also advised to be careful of their manners.

In 1 91 2 I was taken ill, and was transferred to a small room on the second floor, where Miss Cavell personally took care of me. I still can feel the touch of her soft white hand, gently gliding over my hair, her deep blue eyes peering into my fever-flushed face.

She nursed me through it all, and when I was able to sit up, she would sit by my side and assure me that the good Lord had been with me all the while. She moreover told me that from that time on she would be like a mother to me. I shall ever recall those moments with gratitude and emotion, so clear and strong is their image engraved in my soul !

As I did not look strong upon leaving the sickbed, "Madame" sent me to England to recuperate at her sister's home in Henley-on-Thames. The husband of the latter was a Dr. Wainright. They lived in a charming house called ''Upton Lodge." Here T met her dear old mother, and her other sister, Florence, who was a superintendent in a London Hospital. While I was stopping here I learned that Miss Cavell was born in 1865, in the vicinity of Norwich, and that her father had been a clergyman, who, when he died, left his wife in tP.A.

Postcard from Edith Cavell while she was IN England

My dear Nurse :

I think you are right to go on with your studies. We will talk about it, when I come back. Thanks very much for your nice card.

Yours truly,

E. Cavell.

the care of his daughter Florence. Miss Cavell had a brother whom I did not see ; but, while there, I met many of her friends, who belonged to some of the best families of England.

After remaining at her sister's home for a few weeks, I was sufficiently recovered to be able to return to the small ''clinique" in Belgium, and continue my work.

Here a few changes had occurred, during my absence in England. The committee was now being assisted by a Mr. Goldsmith, a wealthy banker, who offered to furnish money for a new Nurses' School to be built in the "Rue de la Bruxelles." I remember, one evening, having been shown the plans by "Madame," herself, and I noticed how happy she was about it. She determined to look after all the plans. She succeeded so well that the new Nurses' Building was started in 191 3. This same year I worked permanently with her in the "clinique," while I learned more and more about her great ability, and when she went to her home in England, to spend her vacation with her family, I was left in charge of a section of the place.

When she returned from England, in August, 1 91 3, she had with her a young girl of fifteen, named Pauline Randell, whom she had found abandoned by her parents.

"Madame" decided to become a god-mother to the girl, and employed her as a general help around the house. From that time on, ''Madame," Pauline, and Jack, the shepherd dog, could be seen strolling together every day to the different hospitals where some of her nurses were employed.

We nurses did not take kindly to Pauline, and we detested Jack. Her other dog, Don, had been stolen from her in 191 1, to our great delight; for he annoyed us with his pranks; but Jack became fiercer than Don had been, and though he was a true and faithful dog, yet he would try to bite everyone who dared to look at his mistress. As regards Pauline, our dislike for her was from another cause. She was not a wicked girl, but she was haughty with us, and of a jealous disposition, and had a way of reporting us to her mistress for the slightest error in our duties. Perhaps it is unkind of me to write this, and also unkind in us not to have been more generous and fair towards her and the dog; because they both rendered great assistance to their mistress in this house of many troubles.

This same year, Madame Marie DePage, wife of Dr. DePage, began to take more interest in the work of nursing than she had hitherto done; she now assisted "Madame" in the administration of the hospital, and was very kind to us. Although her character was quite the opposite of that of ''Madame," yet they agreed, and, after a short time, they became close friends. Here I cannot help thinking how strange it seems to me that both these high-souled women died for their country, each of them in such a sad way.

In the beginning of the year 191 4 there was an Armenian boy, named "Jose," who had been educated in Belgium, and of whom "Madame" took great care. This boy had shown himself to be honest and faithful, and he showed such a good character that she took him into her service, where he performed special duties allotted to him by his mistress. I make particular mention of this boy, in this place, because he afterward became well known to us, and played a worthy role in the sad drama of Miss Edith Cavell ; and, like so many others who served in the same cause, he, too, has been forgotten.

As usual, at the end of July, of the same year, "Madame" took her vacation in England with Pauline, leaving a supervisor named Miss Wilkins in charge of the "clinique." The very day after she left, I went to Lille, to pay a visit to some friends of mine there, little dreaming that a great war was impending, and menacing the existence of my country and my own happy and peaceful life. When I reached the French border I was forced to remain for the whole night at the small station of Quevy. Everybody was talking about Germany, but I did not pay much attention to it. I reached Lille the next day, and there, too, everyone seemed very much upset. I decided that it would be best for me to return to Brussels. I arrived there on the fourth of August and went straight to the "rue de la Culture," where I found that Miss Cavell and Pauline had just come back from England.

''Madame" appeared very calm, as she usually was, and said to me that she thought it best for her to stay with her nurses, now that their country seemed to be in danger. In spite of her calmness, however, many of her nurses left, first the German and then the Dutch girls, reducing greatly the personnel of the already small *'clinique."

Chapter II

Those were very troublesome days, just before the war was declared. "Madame" had a hard time trying to keep the young nurses together, and endeavored to calm them by assuring them that it would probably not occur, or that, at all events, it would not last long. Her efforts were all lost, however, for when on the very next day, the fifth of August, 1 91 4, the Belgian Army officers, in their war automobiles, drove up and down the streets to call up recruits for the army, all our nurses were seized with a panic. Yet it was "Madame" who told us to think of our patients, and to remain and do our duty toward them. She succeeded in calming us, and did not seem very anxious, for she herself was at that time convinced that the Germans would never reach Brussels.

We got most of the beds of our "clinique" ready to receive wounded Belgian soldiers. Nearly all the patients had left — many of them in great haste

— because of their fear of the Germans; and like all the rich, they went to the sea-shore, thinking that the Prussians would never dare to come there.

All the wealthy men of Brussels who did not desire to join the army, had their homes made ready for the wounded. We called these little hospitals "ambulances." There were more than twelve hundred of these in existence when the Germans finally arrived.

Our *'clinique," as I have mentioned above, was situated in a suburb of the city, and by this time no patients remained, so that "Madame" sent some of her nurses, myself included, to a large ambulance base in the city. A few days before this, the King and Queen had left for Antwerp. The royal consort had previously given up her beautiful palace to be used as an ambulance station, and Marie DePage had been received there by Her Majesty as its superintendent.

Dr. LeBoeuf, the Queen's private physician, assisted Mme. DePage, and remained attached to this ambulance base throughout the war.

In those days, when we first heard the German cannons booming over the frontier, and when their soldiers seemed, each moment, to be coming nearer and nearer — we had not, as yet, known what war really was — everything so peaceful and

2S WITH EDITH CAVELL IN BELGIUM

calm in our *'clinique" to which we returned every night from the city to rest.

In the St. Jean's Ambulance, where I worked, there was only one Belgian patient, so far, and he had never seen a German. He was a bicyclist that had been sent to Liege, but never reached there, having fallen from his wheel and broken his left arm. Being the only wounded soldier we had in our place we made much of him, and you can imagine what a glorious time he had !

Things were not yet so very sad in Brussels; the streets were lively and crowded with recruits for the army, and our little ''JASS," * laughing and hopeful, was starting for the German border. Even at the railroad stations we met with smiling faces, and no one seemed to realize the gravity of the event. What did we know, at that time, about war and cannons? But, alas, when the Germans finally did enter Brussels, we could hardly believe our eyes !

Sorrow, now, took the place of gaiety on those faces which but a short while before had been so full of sunshine and levity. Had it not been for our Burgomaster, the brave Mr. Max, many terrible events might have occurred.

* "Jass" is the Flemish term for the Belgian soldier, like the word 'Toilu" is for the French. — Author's note.

Our misfortunes had already begun, when we heard the sound of the German cannon close to the Belgian capital, just as the last trains had left it for the sea-shore.

We, now, were beginning to feel very uneasy. During the evenings, the excitement in the streets was profound, and the windows of the German business houses and stores were broken by angry Belgian citizens, who would become exasperated upon hearing anyone speak with a foreign accent, and immediately try to knock the strangers down.

The excitement was considerably increased when some Belgians came with the news that Louvain, that proud and famous old Flemish town, was burning, though the daily paper, "Le Soir," one of the few that were still issued, had not mentioned the disaster at all — probably with the thoughtful intention of keeping the people quiet. But when the first refugees from Tervueren, a small village about five miles from the Belgian capital, arrived and informed us of all the horrors committed by the Germans in Louvain, we were utterly horrified.

I shall never forget the evening before the Prussians entered Brussels, when some of the nurses and I went up to the roof of our "clinique" and saw the sky, toward the East and the North-East, all a fiery red with glaring rockets and exploding shells, and accompanied by enormous clouds of thick, black smoke, which came rolling ominously in our direction. It was an awe-inspiring sight, and Its effect was greatly increased by the terrific din of the ever-booming cannon, the concussion of which was so intense that many window-panes were broken around us.

Many persons fled in great haste from Brussels, abandoning their former happy homes to the mercy of the cruel invaders.

All our nurses were crying and trembling with fear. I, too, was frightened. ''Madame" found me sitting on the landing of the stairs, weeping bitterly. She peered into my upturned face, with that calm powerful gaze of hers, with something mild, yet full of firm reproach in it, and bade me not to give way to my feelings, that my life no longer belonged to myself alone, but also to my duty as a nurse. And she finally succeeded in calming me, as she did the other nurses; for, whenever there was an occasion for her to use persuasion, she always knew the proper thing to say to her nurses.

So, the very next day, I went as usual to the Ambulance Station where I had been detailed to work. We had nothing to do there, however, for u the solitary Belgian soldier-patient of whom we had to take care had nearly recovered from his broken arm. The time seemed to drag on us; from nine o'clock until two, the hours seemed to us to creep very slowly along.

Then, all at once, our janitress, a very stout woman, suddenly ran into the hall, shouting excitedly in French : ''Les Boches sont la ! Les Boches sont la !" * We were all thrown into a state of confusion, and seemed spell-bound, the medical staff as well as the nurses. One of the doctors burst out crying, some of the nurses fainted. I was trembling all over with excitement, and I thought that the best thing for me to do was to go outdoors and get some fresh air. Immediately I, together with my friend, Miss Stenton, went out into the street, where thousands of citizens, with blanched faces, were standing mournfully around.

We followed some of the crowd to the street corner, but when we reached the place we could not hear a word that was said. We then went to the barracks situated in the suburbs, to get some information from the guardians there, but not a soul was to be seen. The large buildings were quite deserted. This made things look sad, in- * Meaning, "The Huns are coming !" — Author's note.

deed, to us; and to add to our sorrow, nature itself appeared to be laughing at our misfortunes, and seemed to conspire against us with the enemies; for the golden sun was pouring its brilliant light over the long columns of the German troops that were steadily advancing toward us. My friend and I both sat upon a rail fence by the road-side to view the rows upon rows of oncoming soldiers. They were approaching from four sides, and they looked like monster snakes with sinuous, winding bodies issuing from between the tall grass on either side of the road.

In spite of our fear and hatred of these foes, we could not help being fascinated at the sight of this great army, the pick of the German troops, as they passed in front of us, looking rosy-faced and well-fed, though somewhat awkward, with their heads held stiff, and the proud, triumphant smile of the conqueror on their faces. They advanced in rows of eight men each and between their ranks some poor Belgian prisoners were walking painfully along in their bare feet. This was a piteous sight indeed for us to view, and at it, our hatred for our country's foes grew suddenly strong, and impelled us to remain where we were, and gaze our fill. When we had seen enough we found a means of following a section

^^ ^Viese troops to the ''Grande Place de Brussels," or tne pii,xv.:j,al square. Here Mr. Max, our brave Burgomaster, was awaiting the arrival of the Germans.

Everyone was now quiet in the street. The shop-windows were all tightly closed ; the curtains in all the houses were lowered, and all this, by order of our prudent Burgomaster, who, the evening before, had announced that all individuals who did not follow these rules would not be considered as true Belgians. This notice was posted on all the walls of Brussels.

It was here, in "La Grande Place" of the Capital of Belgium, that the well-beloved Burgomaster received the German Commander, a tall, heavily built man, who demanded the surrender of the city. Accordingly, Mr. Max, standing upright, his head erect and his face deathly pale, decorously handed the keys of the city, the emblem of its liberty, to the smiling and bowing conqueror before him. I was not close enough to see his eyes, but I am certain that persons standing near him could not fail to notice the dignified gaze of our beloved Burgomaster.

In the evening of the same eventful, weary day, several German papers placarded on the city walls, proclaimed to the inhabitants that the

''Prussians were our masters." But, between tw^ large notices, could be seen - -maiier proclamation, printed in red ink, in French and in Flemish, which ran thus :

"We are Belgians ! The only legal master we have is our rightful sovereign, King Albert. The present conquerors may have rules for their own people. We Have Ours !"

Signed :

Max, Burgomaster of Brussels.

The very next day, he was sent away to Germany, as a prisoner, and he remained an exile there for the duration of the war.

This made a very sad impression on the hearts of our people, and caused the circling war-clouds to appear darker and darker around our beloved city.