During the last long summer of 1913, prior to the outbreak of the First World War, the country was gripped by suffragette fever. Over a period of six weeks, tens of thousands of non-militant campaigners marched from all over the country to London, in a protest known as the Great Pilgrimage. The Portsmouth contingent was met by a particularly hostile crowd on the third day of their march, when they reached Petersfield. My Great Grandmother, Mary Curme, and my Great Aunt, Nellie Curme, were amongst the protestors who were obliged to face a hostile crowd as they marched through the town carrying a banner that they had made. In an oral history recording made in the 1960s, my Grandfather talks of his mother and sister 'going through all these angry people, and having things thrown at them'.
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Mary and Nell Curme with the second banner in Petersfield |
Mary, the wife of Henry Curme - a coach painter, operated a dress making business from a room in the family home at 6 Charles Street in the town. Employing a couple of 'girls' she carried out work for well-off local women, including teachers from the nearby Bedales School. In 1907. Mary wrote to the local paper praising Dora Hooper, the wife of the Art Master at Bedales, to whom the local suffragette movement 'owed everything'. The banner in the photograph above was made by Mary, almost certainly with the help of her coach painter husband, (Henry my Great Grandfather). She is in the picture directly under the second banner wearing a white blouse and her daughter Nell is holding the banner (nearest to the camera). Mary had been a long term supporter of the cause and her activism persisted for years afterwards. Indeed, a few years later, within the pages of the Hants and Sussex News (10 March, 1915) Mary is recorded as having 'housed and managed ... a small library of books dealing with women's work for circulation among the members of the Petersfield Women's Suffrage Society' (PWSS). The same article refers to the PWSS having its' own badge, 'on sale for 6d'.
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Mary Curme's women's suffrage badge - Petersfield |
One of Mary Curme's letters survives in the Women's Library. In 1907 she wrote to Mrs Bradley expressing satisfaction that the Petersfield branch of the National Union of Women's Societies (NUWSS) had strong local leadership, keen to advocate for votes for women. In later life Henry would sport his wife's badge (see reference above) on a skull cap that he often wore, a rather eccentric garment but one that demonstrates his pride in what his wife and daughter had helped to achieve. A newspaper report in the Hampshire and Portsmouth Standard points to another one of Mary's roles on the march.
The pilgrimage may be made on foot, on bicycle or in any kind of vehicle. A brake will be provided: applications for seats (1s each) to be made to mrs Curme of Charles Street.
The brake referred to is a horse drawn carriage with two pairs of seats facing each other. It is perhaps tempting to think that the brake was sourced by Henry, from his employer, H.Cox & Sons, Carriage Builders.
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Petersfield Coach Builders - Henry Curme, fourth from left |
Mary and Henry had four children - my paternal grandfather Charles who went on to marry Edna Price - the daughter of the headmaster at Eggar's Grammar School in nearby Alton, Rita, Alfred and Nell. Nell who, as mentioned above, held one of the banners during the Petersfield leg of the Great Pilgrimage. She later served as a military Staff Nurse from 28 August 1917 to 9 March 1918 (WO 399-10710), leaving to marry Tom Neal. The couple had two sons, Tom and Jimmy.
Tom Neal (Junior) was killed in action during a bombing mission over Berlin in 1940 whilst serving with the Fleet Air Arm and his younger brother had a successful career in journalism having served in the Army during the 1943-44 Italian Campaign. He retired as editor of the Yorkshire Post and had married four times - a colourful character whose unpublished autobiography is a roller-coaster of a story.
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Nell, Tom and Jimmy - Mary Curme |
It transpires that Mary and Nellie weren't alone in their activism. Mary's husband Henry Curme (my Great Grandfather) was heavily involved in a local campaign to end the trafficking of working class women for sexual purposes. A local newspaper dated 5 July 1912 announced a meeting for men at St Peter's Hall, Petersfield on Sunday 7th July, to 'pass a resolution protesting against the The White Slave Traffic', citing Henry as one of the organisers. The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1912 provided for the arrest without warrant of suspected procurers, harsher penalties for brothel keepers and souteneurs (pimps), action against landlords whose premises were used for prostitution, and the clarification of 'solicitation by men' to encompass the solicitation of either sex.
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Henry and Mary Curme |
I write this after spending a fascinating couple of hours with PhD researcher Sarah Houghton who is studying the Portsmouth Suffragists' campaign for equal rights - in particular the Portsmouth leg of the Great Pilgrimage. Sarah will be preparing an exhibition showcasing her work next year. Venues include Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery and the Museum in Petersfield. My thanks to Sarah for sharing some of her insights with me, and for recommending the definitive book on the subject: 'Hearts and Minds: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage and How Women Won the Vote'.