In
1913 the National Union of
Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) had nearly had 100,000
members. It was decided to hold a Women's
Pilgrimage to try to gain more support for the vote. In
June and July thousands of women took part in a peaceful march to
London. Members of the NUWSS set off in the middle of June, and during
the next six weeks held a series of meetings all over Britain. On
23rd July the pilgrimage was due to reach Crawley. The East
Grinstead Suffrage Society decided to hold a public meeting in
the High Street before joining the pilgrimage on its way to London.
The speakers were to be Marie
Corbett,
Laurence Housman and Edward
Steer. There was only one violent incident in the six weeks of
meetings. That took place at East Grinstead on Tuesday, 23rd July.
(1)
Helen Hoare sent letter to the East Grinstead Observer on 19th
July 1913
At the present time it is alleged by many that
"the cause of Women’s Suffrage is dead". It is no doubt
true that some men were formerly inclined to support it have been
alienated by the doings of the militant party. The National Union
of Women’s Suffrage Society (that is the law-abiding, non-militant
party), in order to show the world that it is alive, and to encourage
its members in a long and disheartening struggle, has organised a
great pilgrimage from all parts of England to London. On 23rd
July, those from the south will pass Crawley, where the East Grinstead
Suffragists will join them on the march to London and the great demonstration
in Hyde Park on 26th
July.
(2)
On 26th July 1913, The East Grinstead Observer reported
a riot that had taken place in the town three days previously.
The main streets of East Grinstead were disgraced
by some extraordinary proceedings on Tuesday evening. The non-militant
section of the advocates of securing women’s suffrage had arranged
a march and public meeting on its way to the great demonstration in
London. The "procession" was not an imposing one. It consisted
of about ten ladies who were members of the Suffrage Society. Mrs.
Marie Corbett led the way carrying a silken banner bearing the arms
of East Grinstead. The reception, which the little band of ladies
got, was no means friendly. Yells and hooting greeted them throughout
most of the entire march, and they were the targets for occasional
pieces of turf, especially when they passed through Queen’s Road.
In the High Street they found a crowd of about 1,500 people awaiting
them.
Edward Steer had promised to act as chairman,
and taking his stand against one of the trees on the slope he began
by saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen". This was practically
as far as he got with his speech. Immediately there was an outburst
of yells and laughter and shouting. Laurence Housman, the famous writer,
got no better than Mr. Steer. By this time pieces of turf and a few
ripe tomatoes and highly seasoned eggs were flying about, and were
not always received by the person they were intended for. The unsavoury
odur of eggs was noticeable over a considerable area. Unhappily, Miss
Helen Hoare of Charlwood Farm, was struck in the face with a missile
and received a cut on the cheek and was taken away for treatment.
Some of the women were invited to take shelter
in Mr. Allwork’s house, but as they entered the crowd rushed
the doorway and forced themselves into the house. The police arrived
and the ladies were taken out the back way and escorted them to the
Dorset Arms Hotel, their headquarters, and this was for a long time
besieged by a yelling mob…. Mrs. Marie Corbett slipped away and
took up a position lower down the High Street on the steps of the
drinking fountain. A young clergyman who appealed for fair play was
roughly hustled and lost his hat. Mrs. Corbett had began to speak
from the fountain steps but the crowd moved down the High Street and
broke up her small meeting.
(3)
Wallace
Hills, Chairman of the East Grinstead Conservative Party, wrote
an article in the East Grinstead Observer about what had happened
on 23rd July.
The open-air meeting at East Grinstead
on Tuesday evening, and the whole event was a distinct discredit to
the town. Some hundreds of young men were determined to get what they
called "fun". People have complained that the police were
to blame. I entirely disagree with this view. The police must not
take sides, and to my mind they showed excellent tact and did the
best they could for all under trying circumstances. One false move
on their part and a noisy rabble might have become a violent one…
Mr. Steer said that the "tradesmen who had saved up rotten eggs
to throw at ladies ought to be ashamed of themselves."
(4) The
Times (26th July 1913)
On Saturday the pilgrimage of the law abiding advocates of votes for
women ended in a great gathering in Hyde Park attended by some 50,000
persons. The proceedings were quite orderly and devoid of any untoward
incident. The proceedings, indeed, were as much a demonstration against
militancy as one in favour of women's suffrage. Many bitter things
were said of the militant women.
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