Peter – a great-grandson of Alice
As a young boy in the 1960’s my grandfather Alfred would often tell me stories of his mother Alice and her fight for the vote,
for Alfred saw first hand the opposition that Alice and other suffragettes met in their fight to be treated equally in the
society of the day.
On one occasion grand father told me of the time he was with his mother in the marketplace in Leicester as she spoke to hundreds
of people from a speaker’s platform, urging them to support the suffragette cause.
A man at the back of the crowd shouted, ‘get back to your family’. Alice replied without hesitation, ‘but here is my family,
they are here to support me’. Indeed they were for not only Alfred, but his brother’s, sisters and father also were there to
support Alice in her cause.
The stories were inspiring stories and unique pieces of oral history that I have remembered and passed down to my children today.
But some five years ago I decided to speak publicly of Alice’s struggle and have now spoken to over 180 groups and societies.
It has proved to be a very popular talk and one which I speak with pride of on each occasion. The challenge for me today however
is to speak to younger people, for I truly believe that if they hear of Alice’s story, it will inspire them to play their own part
in our society today and above all else, I urge them to ‘use your vote’.
