The Suffragette Movement 
The movement for Women's Suffrage, the right to vote, has its origins in the 19th Century but was kick started in 1903 when Emmeline Pankhurst organised the first meeting in her home in Manchester of what was to become the WSPU, the Women's Social and Political Union. Advocating 'Direct action' rather than just handing out leaflets and making speeches, they lived by their new motto 'Deeds not Words'. Between 1903 - 1914, as the Movement became increasingly more militant, over 1000 women served prison sentences for offences such as public order disturbances, breaking windows, cutting telegraph cables and over 250 acts of arson.
While imprisoned the Suffragettes lobbied Parliament to be classed as Political prisoners but this was ignored by the Government.  In reaction to this many Suffragettes began to 'hunger strike', refusing all food. Fearing this new development the Government introduced the policy of 'Force feeding', which until this time had only been used on mental health patients refusing food in Sanatoriums. The process of force feeding someone who didn't want to be fed was brutal. Holding the prisoner down against her will, the liquid food was administered via a tube forced up the nose into the stomach.
In June, 1913 at 'The Derby', the biggest horse race of the year, Militant Suffragette Emily Davison became the first Martyr for the Cause. In front of Newsreel camera's, with the intention of trying to place a Suffragette banner around the King's horse to draw attention to the Campaign, she ducked  under the barriers onto the racetrack. As the horses, travelling at around 30 miles per hour rounded the bend in front of her Emily fatally misjudged  the horse's speed. She was knocked down by the King's horse Anmer and died in hospital 4 days later.
At the outbreak of world War 1 in 1914 the WSPU suspended their militant activities to concentrate their activities on helping the War effort. Hundreds of thousands of women joined the workforce as the men left for the Front. At the end of the War, their campaign for equal rights was partially recognised. In 1918 women over 30 were given 'the vote' and in 1928 all women over 21 were given that right.