Edith Cavell was a British nurse, humanitarian, and patriot celebrated for her work during World War I. Serving in German-occupied Belgium, she treated wounded soldiers from both sides of the conflict without discrimination. She also helped approximately 200 Allied soldiers escape from Belgium, an act for which she was arrested by German authorities. Despite international pressure for her release, she was executed by a German firing squad, becoming an iconic figure of Allied propaganda and a symbol of nursing self-sacrifice.