The Suffragettes

[John Simkin]

In early 1912 Christabel Pankhurst decided that the WSPU needed to intensify its window-breaking campaign. On 1st March, a group of suffragettes volunteered to take action in the West End of London. The Daily Graphic reported the following day: "The West End of London last night was the scene of an unexampled outrage on the part of militant suffragists.... Bands of women paraded Regent Street, Piccadilly, the Strand, Oxford Street and Bond Street, smashing windows with stones and hammers."

Hilda Brackenbury, aged 79, was accused of breaking two windows in the United Service Institution in Whitehall. She served eight days on remand before being sentenced to 14 days in Holloway Prison. Her two daughters, Georgina Brackenbury and Marie Brackenbury, were also both arrested during the demonstration. In court Marie claimed that she was "a soldier in this great cause". Hilda was the oldest suffragette that was sent to prison.

Hilda Brackenbury

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyH.htm

Georgina Brackenbury

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyS.htm

Marie Brackenbury

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbrackenburyM.htm

Most of these women who carried out these militant acts were young women who volunteered to be arrested and to endure hunger-strikes.

Laura Ainsworth

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WainsworthL.htm

Louisa Garrett Anderson

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wgarrett.htm

Rachel Barrett

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WbarrettR.htm

Jane Brailsford

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wbrailsford.htm

Mary Clarke

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WclarkeM.htm

Clara Codd

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wclodd.htm

Helen Crawfurd

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRIcrawfordH.htm

Emily Wilding Davison

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdavison.htm

[John Simkin]

Other members of the WSPU who went to prison included:

Charlotte Despard

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdespard.htm

Elsie Duval

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wduval.htm

Helen Fraser

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WfraserH.htm

Mary Gawthorpe

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wgawthorpe.htm

Margaret Haig Thomas

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Whaig.htm

Vera Holme

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WholmeV.htm

[John Simkin]

Elsie Howey

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Whowley.htm

Edith How-Martyn

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmartyn.htm

Gladice Keevil

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WkeevilG.htm

Annie Kenney

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wkenney.htm

Jessie Kenney

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WkenneyJ.htm

Aeta Lamb

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WlambA.htm

Mary Leigh

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WleighM.htm

Victoria Lidiard

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wlidiard.htm

[John Simkin]

Constance Lytton

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wlytton.htm

Edith Mansell Moullin

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmansell.htm

Kitty Marion

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarionK.htm

Dora Marsden

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarsdenD.htm

Charlotte Marsh

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarshCH.htm

Christabel Marshall

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmarshallC.htm

Hannah Mitchell

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmitchell.htm

Dora Montefiore

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmontefefiore.htm

Flora Murray

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WmurrayF.htm

Adela Pankhurst

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstA.htm

Christabel Pankhurst

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstC.htm

Emmeline Pankhurst

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstE.htm

Sylvia Pankhurst

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstS.htm

[John Simkin]

Mary Phillips

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WphillipsM.htm

Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wpethick.htm

Mary Richardson

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WrichardsonM.htm

Elizabeth Robins

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wrobins.htm

Grace Roe

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wroe.htm

Evelyn Sharp

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wsharp.htm

Ethel Smyth

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsmythe.htm

Marion Wallace-Dunlop

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wwallace-Dunlop.htm

Helen Kirkpatrick Watts

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WwattsH.htm

Vera Wentworth

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WwentworthV.htm

[John Simkin]

The WSPU was supported by several wealthy women including:

Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wpethick.htm

Margaret Haig Thomas (Lady Rhondda)

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Whaig.htm

Lilias Ashworth Hallett

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WhallettA.htm

Hertha Ayrton

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wayrton.htm

Janie Allan

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WallanJ.htm

Emily Blathwayt

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WblathwaytE.htm

Edith Zangwill

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WzangwillE.htm

This all came to an end when the WSPU began its arson campaign in 1912.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Warson.htm