Description
Prime Minister Lloyd George (1863-1945) and suffragette leader Flora Drummond (1878-1949) greet women munition factory workers in Manchester in September 1918. Drummond, an organiser for the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), was imprisoned nine times for her activism. She earned her nickname, the General, for her habit of wearing a military style uniform and riding on a large horse during suffragette marches and demonstrations. The WSPU, led by Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst, were ardent supporters of the British war effort during WWI (1914-1918) and ceased all militant action in 1914 to help with the war effort. They were instrumental in organising the work of women in the munition factories (and other manufacture industries important for the war effort such as textile) through their activist networks. They were criticised by labour and union organisers for suppressing campaigns (including strike action) for improving the working conditions and pay of factory women, who received a fraction of the wages of their male counterparts.
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