| Administrative History | Relates to the campaign for votes for women (women's suffrage). The suffragette wing of the movement felt that the peaceful constitutional tactics employed by the campaign thus far had not made sufficient progress, and resort to direct militant action. Their motto was "Deeds not Words". This included disrupting public meetings and sporting events, attacks on prominent politicians and damaging property. Sporting events targeted included golf, football and, most famously, the Epsom Derby, where the suffragette Emily Davison was killed.
Although the police did not identify the perpetrators, we now know that one of the culprits was Lilias Tait Mitchell (1884-1940). Priginally from Leith, she joined the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1907/8 and became the Aberdeen WSPU organiser in 1911. She was sentenced to four months in prison for window smashing in London, went on hunger strike and was forcibly fed at Holloway Prison. She carried out the Balmoral protest after her release. She continued to carried out miltant protests and was again imprisoned. She was released after becoming ill after going on hunger strike, but once she had regained her strength was re-arrested under the 'Cat and Mouse' Act. |