The Edith Cavell Memorial

The Edith Cavell Memorial is a significant war memorial featuring a statue of nurse Edith Cavell, dressed in a stylized nurse's uniform as if facing her execution. The statue stands on a two-stage plinth inscribed with "BRUSSELS DAWN OCTOBER 12th 1915." Below this, in smaller letters, is the phrase "PATRIOTISM IS NOT ENOUGH I MUST HAVE NO HATRED OR BITTERNESS TOWARDS ANYONE." Behind the statue is a tall pylon with a severe design, inscribed on each face at frieze height with the words "HUMANITY," "SACRIFICE," "DEVOTION," and "FORTITUDE."

On the rear of the memorial, there is a relief of a lion triumphantly standing over a serpent, symbolizing Britain's victory over envy, malice, spite, and treachery. Below this relief is a hammer-beaten panel that showcases the granite in its roughest state. The upper section of the memorial is cruciform in shape and features a sculptural group of a woman and an infant, representing Humanity, with the Geneva cross depicted over the folds of her skirt. One interpretation suggests that the infant symbolizes the smaller nations of Belgium and Serbia, whose protection sparked the war.

At the front of the upper shaft, between wreaths, is the inscription "FOR KING AND COUNTRY." The entire monument is set on a three-stepped base, with low square pyramid-capped posts at each corner.