Today marks the centenary of the execution by firing squad in Brussels of the British nurse Edith Cavell. Her crime was to assist Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium. A true heroine whose story was certainly conveyed to me at a young age via boys' books and comics. There is a good and prominent statue in London's West End:
So, do the Royal Mail commemorate this woman on a stamp, or have they ever done so?
Thought not.
(NB there is to be a "£5 coin" to be issued this year. Bet lots of people get to see that.)
It would seem that Royal Mail prefers to commemorate military heroes and great battles. Although this itself is worthy and commendable, I find it lamentable that the likes of Edith Cavell are slowly ebbing away in people's memories.
For some reason civilian heroes and heroines seem for the most part to be overlooked. I have a postcard of Edith Cavell amongst my grandfather's POW related possessions. Although he might have obtained it just after the Great War, it was obviously precious to him. He must have revered her.
I am sure that a special stamp issue (with a prestige booklet), would have been a great testament to the sacrifices of such heroic individuals. Furthermore, Royal Mail would have undoubtedly added to their coffers quite handsomely.
No, silly me! Let them get back on track and think of some asinine dross to fleece the public with instead.
Canada issued a high value definitive stamp on December 4, 1930 to highlight Mount Edith Cavell, a mountain named for Edith Cavell in 1916, and which is the highest mountain in Jasper National Park entirely within the Province of Alberta.
The $1.00 stamp is listed in the Scott catalogue as Canada #177. A jpg image of a used specimen is appended.
"One of the biggest factors in their defeat in both wars was their inability to see how they were perceived by their enemies. "
I can think of certain other countries about which the same could be said...
But it's an interesting point: one of the biggest factors...? To what extent did Hitler care about how others perceived Germany? We need some evidence here, I think.
"To what extent did Hitler care about how others perceived Germany? We need some evidence here, I think."
to prove the truth of that which did not happen is impossible, but I think it safe to say that many in Ukraine welcomed the Wehrmacht, and that Germany could easily have raised 10 full divisions from their ranks based on their population of around 37M (about 1/4 US population of 133M, from which we raised 80 divisions, plus a navy).
your none-to-subtle reference to a more recent conflict I think helps to reinforce this point. What if Iraqis had remained in armed forces paid by and kept intact by US forces? Who can prove that the resulting turmoil would have evaporated, been reduced, or what.
anyway, they are all part of a disappeared race: Whatifis
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
I'm a bit puzzled by this reply, David. I'm not asking anyone to 'prove the truth of that which did not happen', nor attempting to do so myself. Craig's initial point interested me, although I was dubious about how significant national self-awareness was in Hitler's eventual downfall. I was hoping someone could point me to anything that might have been said in, say, Hitler's Table Talk, which might give an insight into this. I take the point about the Ukrainian welcome in 1941, and how an opportunity was missed there, but it's the evidence that any German commander was thinking along these lines, or had rejected the chance, that would interest me. (Thanks, by the way, for the links.)
I regret that you found my other comment 'none-too-subtle' - it was actually supposed to be very subtle, in that it might refer to more than one country and more than one conflict, depending on the reader's interpretation! Of course, I believe it contains an important point.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 14 Oct 2015 05:35:57pm
re: Edith Cavell 1865-1915
Obviously we are way off topic here, but I will take it a step further and recommend to those interested in hypothetical history to take a look at the alternate history works of Harry Turtledove. They are well written and very entertaining.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"