Norah Balls and Connie Lewcock

Suffragette movement - meetings, going to parliament, involvement in fire at railway station, fooling the police. Petitions, meetings, manhandling.

Location: Esh Winning
County: Durham, London
AUD1997-20

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Transcript of audio:
And I was joined by a little party, perhaps six fellow suffragettes, from Newcastle and Tyneside, and we went to the House of Commons to join this deputation but they wouldn't allow us to get near the buildings, we just stood outside the railings, and eventually because we wouldn't move, we were taken to Canongrove police station, and charged with obstruction. Then we were allowed to go back to our lodgings, but we had to go to the police court the following morning. And the following morning we were charged. But we weren't sent to prison, although we were quite expecting to go, and we were determined to see Mr Asquith the following night. The following night the same thing happened, we were arrested again, and went to the police court the next morning, and again we were discharged. The third time we went, and um, the friend that I was marching with, in this deputation, I thought was being rather badly handled by the police, and so I battered the
policeman's arm, to try to make him release her, and I was once more arrested. Same thing happened, went to the police court the next morning, and it was another magistrate. I remember him distinctly, he looked very old, but I don't suppose he was much older than 70, and I remember him saying, this is a most dangerous woman.

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