Source 54:  Letter from reader, The Edinburgh Evening Dispatch, 11 March 1914 (reaction to the St Andrew's Hall incident)

Description

Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was due to address a public meeting at St Andrew's Hall in Glasgow on 9 March 1914 as part of a Scottish tour. Mrs Pankhurst had recently been released from prison as part of the 'Cat and Mouse' Act, and the police intended to re-arrest her so that she could serve the rest of her sentence. Many of the women who attended the meeting complained about the behaviour of the police; witnesses said that they used unnecessary force to control the crowd.

The debate about the incident, and particularly the actions of the police, continued to rage for several days after the event.

This letter first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch on 11 March 1914.