Suffragettes | Women recall their struggle to win the vote
CHANNEL | National Programme
FIRST BROADCAST | 09 February 1939
DURATION | 2 minutes 44 seconds
FIRSTBROADCAST
1939
In this extract from a review of 1909, made 30 years later in 1939, we hear from the redoubtable Muriel Matters, who boarded an airship to drop leaflets over the Houses of Parliament.
Muriel Matters was born in Australia and was a professional actress before coming to England. She became involved with the suffragette movement and earned her spurs by chaining herself to a grille in the Ladies Gallery of the House of Commons. She later studied under Maria Montessori, the radical Italian educationalist, and returned to work at Sylvia Pankhurst's school in Bow, East London.
Dame Ethel Smyth remembers a window breaking campaign.

Memories of an aerial leafleting campaign.
Risking arrest to campaign for the tax-paying woman's vote.
The achievements of the suffragette leader are recalled by her daughter.
A suffragette and a photographer remember an eventful court case.
Memories of a militant suffragette.
Remembering when Emily Davison leapt under the King's horse.
Two eminent peers share their experiences of the suffrage movement.
Two veterans of the suffragette movement talk about the early days of the campaign.
Mrs Pankhurst's chief organiser shares her story.
Joan Bakewell meets a veteran suffragette.
BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.