Suffragettes

Pick on a year and read all about it! What was it like to live then? My choice: 1914 – women on the march and men marching off to war. And no, Lloyd George didn’t know my father.

Imagine my surprise in the summer of 2018 when visiting the Suffolk seaside I bumped into a Suffragette march in a little lane at Dunwich. Naturally I trailed along and found these two ladies in their museum… straw boater, white blouse, full skirt and the second rebel in a coat dress. The three coloured bands signified virtues: purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity and green for hope.

Also on display were several documents from the era revealing arrests and charges and an extraordinary letter from a prison governor refuting allegations that imprisoned Suffragettes suffered insanitary conditions. He painted such a glowing picture that he made the jail sound like a holiday camp.