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BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Rare postcard from Edith Cavell sells at auction for €1k
An "extremely rare" postcard written by World War One heroine and nurse Edith Cavell has sold at auction for €1,000 (about £880).The postcard is thought to have been sent around the time of the outbreak of the conflict and is addressed to Mrs Cavell at 24 College Road, postcard, which has the words "Mundesley much changed & much grown" written in pencil, has sold at an auction in Spain. Auctioneers, International Autograph Europe S.L Malaga, said the postcard had "some extremely minor, light age wear" and was of the chapel on Mundesley High Street. The opening bid was set at €1,000 and was expected to reach up to €1,200 (about £1,045).Francisco Piñero, chief executive of the company, said autographs of Ms Cavell were "extremely rare" and it was one of only a small handful he has handled during his career. Cavell was born in Swardeston, near Norwich, where her father was the local vicar, and was inspired to become a nurse after she nursed him back to health. In 1907, she travelled to Brussels to help run a new nursing school. She helped hundreds of soldiers escape as part of the Belgian underground was executed by a German firing squad for treason on 12 October 1915 at the age of 49, and her body was later returned to her home in the autograph letters, manuscripts and historical documents auction, it featured alongside autographs by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Also featured at the auction were two letters written by Norfolk's famous son Lord Admiral Nelson, including a document removed from a naval order book outlining a number of instructions and was signed by Nelson's niece Catherine Bolton. The letter is believed to have been written during his blockade of the French fleet at Toulon, fetching €6,000 (about £2,490) at the auction. The other document has been written by Nelson's personal chaplain Alexander Scott and was sold for €1,900 (about £1,655). Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Postcard sent by Norfolk war heroine Edith Cavell up for auction
A rare postcard written and sent by the nurse Edith Cavell to her mother is to be sold at auction. The postcard is addressed to Mrs Cavell at 24 College Rd, Norwich, and reads in pencil: "Mundesley much changed & much grown."Cavell is celebrated for her compassion during World War One, treating soldiers from both sides without discrimination and helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium. She was executed in postcard is due to go under the hammer on 18 June and is expected to exceed an opening bid set at 1,000 euros. The auctioneers, International Autograph Auctions Europe S.L in Malaga, Spain, say the postcard most likely dates from around the time of the outbreak of World War note has "some extremely minor, light age wear" and the image is of the chapel on Mundesley High Street. Cavell was born in Swardeston, near Norwich, Norfolk, where her father was the local reverend. She returned to Norfolk when her father became unwell and helped nurse him back to health, which is what inspired her to become a nurse. In 1907, she travelled to Brussels to help run a new nursing school. She helped hundreds of soldiers escape as part of the Belgian underground was executed by a German firing squad for treason on 12 October 1915 at the age of 49, and her body was later returned to her home is buried within the grounds of Norwich Cathedral at Life's Green, next to the cathedral's St Saviour's Chapel, built as a memorial to Norfolk's fallen in World War in the autograph letters, manuscripts and historical documents auction, the postcard has been listed alongside autographs by Gingers Rogers and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Laurence most expensive item in the auction is a Radisson Pierre-Esprit manuscript, dating back to the 17th Century, which is estimated to sell for up to 90,000 euros. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.