29/08/2024
BOOK REVIEW
Edith Hudson was born abroad but grew up in Glasgow, appearing in the 1901 census working as a nurse at Western Infirmary in that city. But she gave up her job to dedicate herself to the suffrage movement. She is someone I am currently researching, though If she is mentioned at all in books, it is mainly to do with her attempt, with others, to burn down Kelso racecourse in 1913. But she did more than that, and in this incredible book Secret Missions of the Suffragettes: Glassbreakers and Safe Houses by talented Jennifer Godfrey - Author, published by Pen and Sword Books, Edith has her place in a whole chapter about those from Scotland who travelled to London to take part in this protest organised by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), which also talks about the wonderful 'Holloway Jingles'.
At the beginning of March 1912 over 250 women, many of whom had travelled to London to take part in this protest, took to the streets to smash windows of shops and offices. From 19 year old Ethel to 79 year old Hilda these women came from different backgrounds, locations, ages and stages of life, to say to the Government ‘Deeds not Words’. Normally this ‘Great Militant Protest’ is mentioned in suffrage books in a chapter, but to have a whole book researched and written about it is a great addition.
It is obvious from the very start that Jennifer has done a lot of research for this book, and weaves it throughout in a readable way. There are many things I love about it, not least the whole chapter on Scottish participants. But it is a book full of photos, extracts from letters and diaries, that looks at each woman and makes her an actual person rather than just a name in a list. And there are also lists, which are so useful. One of the reasons suffragette prisoners went on hunger strike was to protest about not being treated as a political prisoner. In this book there is a table that shows what that meant, the difference between political prisoners and others, and how the suffragettes were treated. Not always for the faint-hearted – the authorities were thoroughly fed up with these pesky women making a nuisance of themselves and sometimes made this clear in their treatment of them. There is also a list of the different secret codes they used, as messages were smuggled in and out of the prison.
A lot of thought has also clearly gone into the way the research is presented. Not just the writing, but also the tables of information, the photos used, and the brilliant images created by Daniel Atkinson of Dan Rhys Design. Jennifer writes in a very compelling way, never assuming the reader has prior knowledge, but presenting the information in such a way you can’t help but want to read the book in one go! There are so many untold stories within the covers which, as someone who spends a lot of her life highlighting forgotten or lesser known women, I 100% applaud.
There is so much I love about this book that I could almost write a whole book about why I love it so! But one other thing I want to highlight is Annex 1 at the end which is a list of the Glassbreakers – to see such a list really highlights how many were involved.
I urge you to rush to your local library or bookshop to get hold of this brilliant book (or you can buy directly from Pen and Sword). And then next time you find yourself in Edinburgh come on one of my walking tours to hear some more about those in Scotland who believed women should have the vote – and keep your eyes out for news of a walking tour next March which is solely on those involved in the suffrage movement!
http://ruthboreham.com/tours/
