Suffragette 41- HURRAY!!!!

Watched it late last night, but chickened out and left the room during the force feeding depiction. I still cannot condone the resort to Arson and Bombs, which I felt weakened the argument and alienated many women who would have been more supportive if the campaign had stuck to peaceful protest and left the men to respond with violence.

Watching it now,thanks bmacca

Granny23, that's great to hear and she looks fabulous.

Antiques Roadshow tonight at 8pm on BBC1 is a 'Pioneering Women' special - filmed at the Houses of Parliament and the chance to see Emmeline Pankhurst's 'Hunger Strike' medal.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b6vj13

I am watching. Lucy Worsleys program right now. She is always worth watching. Good old news reel stuff.

My DGD1's class (P6) have been studying Democracy. To celebrate the anniversary of Women's Suffrage they devised and produced a dramatic presentation, complete with songs and facts on a big screen. DGD who was Emily Pankhurst, delivered a speech and was promptly arrested by a big 'policeman', to much booing from the whole school audience. A brilliant, well researched performance from all the cast of 10 year olds.

DGD has taken great interest in the topic and is off to Edinburgh tomorrow with her Mum to take part in one of the parades with banners, wearing her Emily costume,

How great!. It is sometimes forgotten that the suffragettes also wanted to see the end of poverty, campaigened against sweat shops and even wanted Equal wages for Equal work.

My own granny was a suffragette and in protest tied herself to the railings outside Parliament - but was never arrested. She would have enjoyed all the discussions on this forum as she was a great freethinker and socialist.

She always told me how annoyed she was that, having fought for the vote for women, the majority (then) voted Tory. She would have been pleased that this gender gap has now disappeared.

She was a Labour candidate in local elections and became a campaigning pacifist in later life.

I've been on a behind the scenes tour of Birmingham Hippodrome theatre today, and it was fascinating to hear that in March 1918 Emmeline Pankhurst addressed a packed house at the theatre to campaign for women munitions workers

Smileless2012 what a great story! I wonder how many more families had women who were involved and whose exploits were never mentioned because of disapproving family members.

A retired minister who occasionally takes services at church fascinated us all with his memories of his mother. She was the suffragette who threw a brick through the window of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, was arrested, imprisoned and force fed.

His GM, her M, wrote numerous letters to the prison governor and the PM expressing her concern about her daughter's fragile state of health (which was true) until she was eventually released.

When his M found out the reason for her release, she wrote to the PM and told him she'd gladly return to prison to complete her sentence despite her mother's pleading, and if were asked to do so, would gladly repeat her offense.

He and his siblings were due to be sent away to the country during the war for their own safety and his M told them about this because she wanted them to know and was worried that if she never saw them again, they'd never know.

His father had forbade her to tell their children and his GM never spoke of it.

So much of this history is almost lost. If you are interested I do urge you to look at your local area. The names of the women involved are steadily slipping into obscurity apart from a few of the most famous.
Thanks for the reminder bmacca. I'd forgotten she died on the 8th.
Bridgeit I think they would be shocked to discover the things they thought women would help eradicate are still around, poverty, deprived children, poor housing and still a pay gap.

Thanks for that trisher. In addition our local museum have produced a guide of their own to any links with suffragettes in our local area ( not the ones on the list). I’ve learned a lot about some amazing women who are not national names

Thanks trisher, that's interesting information, I wasn't aware of 2 out of the 4 near to me.
Also on this day, 8 June 1913, Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison lost her fight for life, four days after the incident at the Epsom Derby.
Her gravestone bears the famous Suffragette slogan -

"Deeds not Words"

I think there are quite a few of our current politicians who could do with reflecting on those words.

Thanks for sharing this Trisher, just looking up the details on the one nearest to me.
I do wonder what they would have made of Gransnet, I’m sure they would be quite horrified about some of the things we squabble over!?