Southend+WSPU

With a General Election looming at the end of the year, the womens movement to gain the right to vote mounted and on the streets of Southend women demonstrated as shown in the picture above. Their wish would not be granted until 1918 and then limited by age, until 1924 when the women's voting rights were brought fully in line with men.

__Women involved__ Laura Ainsworth, the daughter of a school inspector, was born at Blything, northumberland. Ainsworth joined the Women Social & Political Union and resigned from her teaching post and in June 1909 she joined Gladice Keevil as a WSPU organiser in Birmingham. After getting arrested and being released on ill health (hunger strikes) she then opened a holiday camp in southend-on-sea

__Eva Woodthorpe__ She was an active member of the sufferagettes and according to family acounts she was injurued and jailed whilst demonstrating and chained herself to the railings at parliment (or Downing street?).

"TWO WOMEN INJURED" "Four suffragists were roughly handled at Leigh-on-sea yesterday when they attempted to hold a sandwhich board parade. A large crowed had gathered, and, raising the cry; "We'll have no suffragettes in Leigh". They took away the women's boards and handbills. Two of the women, Mrs.Sky and Miss.Woodthorpe were struck and injured, and thier hats torn off." (no date to show when it was)