Edith Cavell to feature on Royal Mint's new £5 coin

Edith Cavell

The Royal Mint's new £5 coin commemorating the First World War will feature British nurse and Christian Edith Cavell.

Cavell, the daughter of a vicar in Swardeston, served as a nurse in occupied Belgium and cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

She was executed by the Germans in 1915 for helping Allied soldiers escape to neutral Netherlands. She was 49.

On the night before her execution by firing squad, Cavell was granted Holy Communion and she told the Anglican chaplain, the Reverend Stirling Gahan, the words that she is best remembered for: "Patriotism is not enough; I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."

After her execution, her body was returned to Britain for burial at Norwich Cathedral. Thousands turned out to pay their respects at her funeral procession.

The coin comes after members of her family petitioned the Treasury asking that Cavell be honoured on a new £2 coin. The petition was signed by 110,000 people.

Treasury minister Nicky Morgan said: "She showed true bravery by helping injured soldiers, regardless of their nationality, and it is right that she should be honoured as a British hero.

"She risked her life to help Allied forces escape and in doing so paid the ultimate price. It is important that we remember the sacrifices made by so many people in different ways during the war."