Extract from The Illustrated London News © ‘From pavement-chalking to arson, window-breaking and bombing: the progress of Militant Suffragism’, 24 May 1913 (Catalogue ref: ZPER 34/142 13)

Transcript

[Photographs left to right, first row]

Early Methods: A Suffragette writing on the pavement

Destructive militancy begins: A shop window broken

Arson: Remains of the burnt-out tea pavilion in Kew Gardens, a London landmark

Bombing: The Walton Heath House, leased by Mr. Lloyd George, damaged in explosion

Arson: The refreshment kiosk in Regents Park burnt almost to the ground

Destruction: Orchids destroyed at Kew Gardens

Obstruction: Mr Asquith “tackled” by Suffragettes

[Photographs left to right, second row]

Arson: A £2000 house at Cheam burnt out

Arson: Croxley Green Railway Station Burnt

Arson: Lady White’s house, Staines burnt (£3000)

Arson: Saunderton Railway Station Burnt

Arson: A house near Chorley Wood burnt

[Photographs left to right, third row]

Arson: A railway-carriage burnt on the London and South Western Railway at Teddington

Arson: House (Formally Mr. Arthur Du Cros) burnt at St Leonards

Arson: Tunbridge Wells Cricket Pavilion burnt

Arson: Fulham Park Bowling Green Pavilion burnt

Arson: Farington Hall, near Dundee, burnt with damage estimated at £20,000

Arson: The Highlands, Sandgate, burnt-postcard addressed to “Dishonourable Prime Minister” found

[Photographs left to right, fourth row]

Arson: A detective with captured petroleum-cans

Window-breaking: A hammer in a “Dorothy bag”

Arson: Hillcrest, Golder’s Green, burnt

Bombing: Where the bomb was found in St. Paul’s (X)

Arson: The burned organ of Penn Church, Bucks

Bombing: Bombs found at Bow Street and in a train

Bombing: A bomb and remains of a bomb at Walton Heath

Wire-cutting: A detective with telegraph and signal-wire cutter

The Suffragettes, who began their vote-seeking by such comparatively innocent devices as chalking announcements on the pavements, holding meetings and waylaying Ministers in the hope of securing their support, have, we need hardly say, now developed militancy to a very dangerous extent, and have caused much damage to property by breaking glass, by committing arson, and by exploding bombs. It must be understood, f course, that not all the outrages credited of late to those vote-seekers who have been called “the wild women” have been proved to be their work. Such matters are obviously exceeding difficult of proof; but there can no doubt that that a great deal of the damage done is due to the militants and no others. On this double page and on another page in this issue, we give a number of illustrations which depict the growth of militant methods and of outrages generally attributed to militant Suffragettes.

Chronology