Source 56:  Cartoon (comment on St Andrew's Hall incident, Glasgow)

 

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.

A leading Scottish suffragette, Janie Allen, who attended the meeting campaigned tirelessly for an enquiry into police tactics. She contacted local magistrates, as well as local and national politicians. She wrote to other women who had attended the meeting and asked them to complete a written questionnaire relating to the incident.

Despite the efforts of Janie Allen, the authorities dismissed the demands for an official enquiry. This cartoon, which appeared in the Glasgow News on 10 April 1914, comments on the outcome of the incident.

[Janie Allan Archive (Acc 4498)]