Born in Tournai in 1893, Gabrielle joined the Red Cross as a fundraiser in early August 1914.
When the Germans arrived in Brussels on August 20, Gaby, as she was affectionately known to her family, moved to Charleroi.
A staunch patriot, she then agreed to move to London after a brief stint in Holland, a neutral country where she had initially sought refuge, along with a considerable number of Belgians.
After a few weeks of training with the British military intelligence service, Gabrielle was tasked with returning home and informing the Allies about the movements and positions of German troops between Ypres and Maubeuge.
Arrested for espionage by the Germans in 1916, she was imprisoned in St-Gilles prison (Brussels). Gabrielle Petit was shot at the National Shooting Range in Schaerbeek (Brussels) on April 1, 1916.
On May 27, 1919, her body was initially exhumed from the shooting cemetery and reburied in the Schaerbeek civil cemetery, not far from the plots dedicated to veterans. Once again exhumed, her remains were finally buried, past the cemetery guardhouse, on the right side of the central aisle.
Gabrielle Petit's grave is currently topped by an improbably shaped white sculpture, approximately 2.4 meters high.