The descriptions for this part of the book were inspired by my mother’s early life - my grandfather, Robert Gorrie was a forester in northern India:

I’m currently going through a stack of photos from their time in India, and over the next couple of weeks I’ll scan the best and post them here. In the meantime, here’s one to show you how hard the journey could be – this is how mum experienced perambulating through the Himalayan foothills:

Definitely a photo that’s a product of its time!

A fifty pence piece commemorating the centenary of the founding of the WPSU. I wonder if Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst had any idea that just a hundred years later they’d be seen worthy of commemorating on the nation’s coins? I wonder how much of a lift it would have given to the Suffragette’s foot-soldiers like my character Maggie Beaton when they faced tough times & the consequences of their actions?

The programme’s web page features a number of defaced census forms. These include Emily Wilding Davison‘s record as a “resident” of the House of Commons on census night (she was hiding in the crypt as a protest):

One with a leaflet posted over it, and the words, “No persons here, only women!” written in:

And finally, this one, “No vote – no census. House deserted (April 2nd to 3rd) by Suffragist who demands the vote. Considers that if she is intelligent enough to fill up this schedule she can surely make a X on a ballot paper” – a statement that gets to the crux of the matter!:

My book, The Suffragette explores the issues these women were protesting – this was a national movement, so I set the Suffragette in Tyneside to provide a backdrop of working class realism for what is sometimes portrayed now as a middle / upper class struggle.

“In 1912, Scotland Yard detectives bought their first camera to covertly photograph the suffragettes. The pictures were compiled into ID sheets for officers on the ground.”

I wonder if they ever brought their camera north to photograph the ne’er-do-wells that my Great Granny and her sisters were. They took part in public demonstrations, which would have provided ample opportunity for the Yard’s snapper – like this one from 1909, a couple of years earlier:

 Suffragette demonstration from 1909. I love the banner, “A Gude Cause Maks A Strong Arm” – properly Scottish!

In addition to taking covert photographs, Scotland Yard’s camera was also used to produce mug shots of women prisonners. These were circulated to aid identification of these trouble makers on release. Bearing in mind that these were women who were hunger-striking and being force fed, they weren’t willing models for these photographs.

For example, Evelyn Manesta was photographed while being held in place by a prison guard:

But after a spot of light air-brushing, no-one need ever know of the way these women were being treated:

Using cards like this to identify likely trouble makers is something that still goes on today. The police’s Public Order Intelligence Unit (CO11) produces these spotter cards - target “H” on this example is comedian and political activist, Mark Thomas:

I didn’t include Scotland Yard’s use of modern technology in their fight against women’s suffrage when I was writing The Suffragette. Information on this part of the police’s programme was so sensitive that it was only released last year. But I do like to think that my characters Maggie Beaton and Alice Pearson would have been the kind of people to attract this unwanted attention!

More Suffragettes Under Surveillance photos are available on the Retronaut site.

I became aware of the extent of this when I was taking part in a monthly peace vigil against the invasion and occupation of Iraq. At the same time, I was researching conscientious objectors in the First World War for A Crimson Dawn, and I wondered if the widespread women’s movement for emancipation had been stopped by the outbreak of the Great War.

Anti-Suffrage politicians at the time were quick to call for an end to the campaign – it was seen as unpatriotic when “our brave boys” were involved in such a desperate struggle. That line sounds very familiar today, doesn’t it?

Yet many of the Suffragette groups did not disband. Many brave women stood up against the government’s jingoistic rhetoric, and kept in touch with their fellow campaigners in the ‘enemy’ countries. They saw the war for what it was – an imperialist expedition that was about grabbing colonies and resources. Ordinary people on both sides were manipulated into fighting in support of a system that kept them subjugated.

In 1915, some of these women even organised a peace conference. Aletta Jacobs (one of the first woman doctors) called the conference to take place in The Hague, and it became the foundation of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. The conference was attended by Suffragettes from the USA, as well as Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence & Emily Hobhouse representing England, and Chrystal MacMillan representing Scotland. In all, there were 1136 delegates from 12 countries. After the conference, they personally lobbied various governments in London, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Rome, Berne and Paris to sue for peace.

It’s a mark of how far they got under the skin of the political system, with Theodore Roosevelt describing them as “hysterical pacifists… both silly and base”, while Jane Adams was described in the Rochester Herald as,

“In the true sense of the word, she is apparently without education. She knows no more of the discipline and methods of modern warfare than she does of its meaning. If the woman conceded by her sisters to be the ablest of her sex, is so readily duped, so little informed, men wonder what degree of intelligence is to be secured by adding the female vote to the electorate.”

This sort of personal attack is a sure sign that you’ve got them on the run! Jane Adams was subsequently awarded the Nobel Peace prize – the first American woman to be honoured with this award.

I’m really pleased about this – some of the original research materials for The Vanishing of Ruth is to be featured as part of the Lit & Phil (that’s the Literary and Philosophical Society) exhibition on North East authors.

The exhibition – Creative Passions: An exhibition celebrating literature in portraits and words runs from 1st February to 3rd March 2012.

Hopefully if you’re in Newcastle in February, you’ll have time to pop into the Lit & Phil – it’s one of my favourite buildings in the North East, and a great place to work on my writing. The materials I’ve submitted for the exhibition include:

• Diary extracts from Day 1 and Day 53 of my overland trip of 1976 from the Isle of Skye to Kathmandu.
• Day 53′s entry was written in Balochistan, which formed one of the key settings for The Vanishing of Ruth. I refreshed my knowledge on the area some thirty-odd years later with the help of the Lit & Phil’s copy of Stanford’s Compendium on Balochistan.
• A letter written home from Afghanistan. Beautiful country, and wonderful people!

More on the Vanishing of Ruth later in the week…

Three months overland by bus from London to Kathmandu – a trip that became the seed that grew into The Vanishing of Ruth.

Arriving in Kathmandu I discovered there was no air ticket home so had to spend the last of my money going to Delhi were it was supposed to be waiting. In those days you couldn’t just slap down your plastic and get on the next available flight! Luckily a friend from the trip, Nikki, was in the same position as – guess what? – when we got to Delhi just before New Year, there were no tickets there either!

It took 2 weeks of excitements, tears and strange encounters before we managed to get flights home – but that’s another story! From my diary:

WEDNESDAY 12TH JANUARY, 1977

“Up at 4.0!  Packed and had toast and coffee.  John drove me in the bus; had tea at airport – checked in.  Unclaimed black bag near us!  We told 4 people, including Security, but not bothered!  John and Bob are taking the bus off today – making for Europe in 4 weeks – will be freezing trip eg Turkey minus 40 degrees at night!  Offered me a lift back and pay at other end if got stuck – nearly had to take it!

Security checks etc – finally on plane.  Next to nice ex-British Council man (like Hoppy [Canon Hopkins of Durham Cathedral] though not quite as vague!)  accompanying nice little lad back to school.  Told him of my adventure – he took half of journey working out the length of the journey!

Stopped at Barhain - swarthy blokes with cloths wrapped round heads and in jumpsuits came on board – no not a high-jack – they were the cleaners!  From plane saw Gulf and flat beaches, low buildings – all very oily and drab.  Landed at Damascus - armed guard, took ages for people to board.  Flat wasteland all around; but when took off saw great snow-capped mountains - flew over Lebanon and then Turkey.

Landed at Heathrow an hour late – journey taken about 13 and a half hours!  At Heathrow after customs etc, got bus to Terminus 1 and picked up money plus ticket for Newcastle.  Missed original flight.  Suddenly theloudspeaker boomed my name and ordered me to Information; feeling important but afraid I went – it was Mum and Dad wondering why I wasn’t on plane!  I must be the most well-known lost traveller in the whole air flight business!

Had much needed half pint.  Plane late (so what’ new!)  Onto plane finally - ordered Martini and fell asleep, woke to hear we’re about to land!  No time for drink.  Hostress asked me if I was feeling alright.

Dad and Don [eldest brother] to greet me – in their Russian coats!  Snow thick on ground.  As drove home – told of great Delhi saga!  Mum and Barbara [sister-in-law] waiting.  Don and Barbara opened champagne for me.  Debbie [school friend] rang!  Flowers from Jock [Durham friend] and card from “the whole damn bunch”!  Torq [brother] phoned; just missed them.  Phoned Rory and Uncle Donald.

Wine with slap-up meal.  Gave presents – much concern over beedies - obviously hash at least.  Don said when you get to the string you bail out!  (Dad smoked the wrong end!)  After 26 hours finally fell into bed!  Adventure over !!!”

We managed to get a copy of the 1901 census to see who should have been in the household – click to enlarge:

As you can see, the Gorries at No. 3 Cameron Park, Edinburgh are all listed. Yet mysteriously on the night of the 1911 census, everyone’s on holiday, and young Robert (my grandfather!) seems to be staying with the neighbours at No. 1:

Where was everyone?

I found out when I was researching The Suffragette – they were at a party! They’d hired a room at an Edinburgh hotel and were in fancy dress, with Great Aunt Beth as Young Lochinvar, no less. I remember her well from later in her life – when we used to visit her flat when I was a girl, she’d treat all us kids to breakfast in bed.

Here’s the page from my notebook. I made these notes while studying The Gorrie Collection at The National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh – a collection of papers, photos and newspaper cuttings donated by Auntie Beth:

Census evading was just one of the ways for women to protest. As Christabel Pankhurst said,

“Until women count as people for the purpose of representation…as well as for purposes of taxation, we shall refuse to be numbered”

As Women’s Freedom League founder member Margaret Wynne Nevinson commented in 1913:

“All over the country the names of thousands of women are missing from the Census papers, proving the great axiom of the British Constitution – that government must rest on the consent of the governed“

It is estimated that the number of evaders ran to well over a hundred thousand. In a population of around 40 million, that wasn’t enough to seriously distort the results, but it did gain significant publicity for the cause of women’s suffrage.

—–

UPDATE – 30th Jaunuary 2012

Census evasion is a form of protest that’s still very much alive and kicking! Quaker pacifists refused to complete last year’s census, and they’re now being prosecuted for their conscience.

The Suffragette movement was a broad church, with some people getting involved just through personal lobbying, while others, like my Great Aunt Bel, sold newspapers to raise funds for the cause. At the other end of the scale was civil disobedience (my family was not at home for the 1910 census), or even outright militancy.

Emily Wilding Davison was at the extreme end of this scale. On 4th June 1913 she was run down by the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, and died of her injuries several days later. Although her exact motivation for entering the race track was never resolved (had she simply intended to cross it? Was she trying to fix a banner or flag to the horse, so that it would cross the line carrying the WSPU colours? Did she intend martyrdom?), footage of the incident was captured by Pathé News, and remains to this day a potent symbol of how desperate was the struggle for women’s suffrage:

Filed under: Family Sagas, Researching The Stories Tagged: Emily Davison, Emily Wilding, Emily Wilding Davison, Epsom Derby 1913, King's Horse, Suffragette, video ]]> http://janetmacleodtrotter.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/my-familys-links-to-the-suffragette-movement/feed/ 1 Janet MacLeod Trotter http://janetmacleodtrotter.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/a-crimson-dawn-now-in-e-book-formats/ http://janetmacleodtrotter.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/a-crimson-dawn-now-in-e-book-formats/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:46:44 +0000 Janet MacLeod Trotter http://janetmacleodtrotter.wordpress.com/?p=157 ]]> It’s been a while coming, but I’ve finally got A Crimson Dawn converted to e-book formats:

Emmie Kelso is only nine years old when she’s rescued from a dingy Gateshead tenement. Sent to Crawdene, a mining village on the fell, she’s taken into the vibrant, loving household of the MacRaes and brought up as one of their own.

Blossoming into an intelligent and spirited young woman, Emmie is soon swept off her feet by handsome miner Tom Curran but it’s only after their wedding that she learns of his possessive, violent nature.

As war engulfs Europe in 1914, the community divides. Tom enlists and despite his disapproval, Emmie joins the MacRaes, among others, in their cries for peace. Working with those opposed to the war, Emmie finds herself alongside Rab, the MacRaes’ eldest son and a conscientious objector, and their childhood devotion to each other sparks into a love too strong to hide. But as the war worsens, the atmosphere grows ever more tense.

Women hand out white feathers to those refusing to defend their country and Rab, arrested as a ‘conchie’, faces the ultimate penalty. And when a brutalised, war-weary Tom returns home, there’s trouble ahead. The war may be drawing to an end, but Emmie’s fight for happiness is only just beginning ….

For full details of this book, please go to my page on Family Sagas.