BOOK REVIEW TOUR

Dr Maureen Wright says, "Building on the success of her previous book, Suffragettes of Kent, Jennifer Godfrey extends her research to encompass a wider narrative of militancy...the history of glass breaking & the violent activism that characterised the WSPU campaign from 1912-14.

In a fast paced account Godfrey brings us face to face with many hitherto unknown women, whose stories of commitment to the suffrage cause shaped their lives. Appealing to the scholar & general reader alike, Godfrey adds depth to her work with the addition of numerous illustrations, maps, photographs & a useful appendix which lists all the "window smashers", their offences & their punishments. 

The author also analyses the prison experiences of the militants, their camaraderie, and their courage in the face of the hunger strike & forcible feeding. These accounts are strangely uplifting as well as harrowing, showing a commitment to their ideals that risked personal safety. Many militants used an alias, even when charged, & as the campaign evolved into the use of 'terror' tactics into 1913, the militants took lessons in unarmed combat & set up a group of safe houses in which they could seek refuge. These innovative chapters form the final sections of the book. 

Overall, Godfrey's excellent book gives a real flavour of the WSPU at the height of its militancy. It was a dangerous time for all involved & that danger shines through this engaging & innovative work."

Beverley says: "This book investigates the suffragette campaign from March 1912 when the Women’s Political & Social Union (WSPU) embarked on a window-smashing campaign across London.

Over 250 women picked up their hammers and stones and targeted important sites across the capital in demonstrations against the government’s continuing refusal to acknowledge women’s voting rights.

What Godfrey does well in this book is bringing together all the details of the planned attacks as well as the individual narratives of the women involved. These women had a clear objective, to cause disruption with an aim of getting their message heard.

This was not just wilful acts of vandalism and Godfrey gets that point across with great skill. The attacks were complex and the network of women underwent self-defence classes as well as learning how to read and break codes they also learned how to utilise the art of disguise.

I admire the depth of knowledge Godfrey has, she clearly knows her subject & does the brave fight of the suffragettes & their heroic fight for ‘Votes for Women’ proud. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in political history & women’s history.

Professional Genalogist, Writer & Historian Emma Jolly has posted her review. She says, 

"In her latest social history book, Secret Missions of the Suffragettes: Glassbreakers and Safe Houses, Jennifer Godfrey explores the suffragette movement’s clandestine activities during the early 20th century. The narrative focuses on the Women’s Social and Political Union’s (WSPU) window-smashing protest in March 1912, led by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. This protest involved over 250 women who used hammers and stones to smash windows in London as a demonstration against the government’s refusal to include women in their reform bill.

Secret Missions of the Suffragettes details the intricate planning and execution of these missions, highlighting the use of safe houses, rest homes, and the suffragettes’ strategies for evading police surveillance. The narrative also covers the suffragettes’ self-defence training, the use of disguises, and communication through codes and aliases. Throughout Godfrey paints a vivid picture of the suffragettes’ determination and the lengths they went to in their fight for women’s suffrage, while also giving a broad overview of the behind-the-scenes efforts that were crucial to their cause.

This book sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of suffragette history and is essential reading for anyone interested in suffragettes, political movements, or women’s social history."

Harry is the founder member of the Young Historians.  His review is  in and here is an extract:

"Around a month ago, I was asked to review Jennifer Godfrey's latest release. The Suffragettes for me  are a relatively grey zone, so I thought I'd broaden my horizons and take a leap down a new avenue. Captivation is an understatement for this book. It is indulgent and written in a manner which subjects the reader to an intense set of days for women's rights in a melodic and mindful approach.............

The key factor that makes this book sublime is its use of primary sources. These dictate the narrative of the entire book and make the book immersive and evidential. My initial thoughts on the suffragettes were that they were nothing more than organised protestors (publicly angry is a better term). However, I was wrong, what emerged is an extremely well-organised and sophisticated resistance movement uniting together under one common cause and this is evident within the Glassbrearkers. Sometimes our use of imagination can be pixelated but Jennifer's common use o images reinforces our understanding and engagement throughout, crafted together with the sources it creates an illusion to the reader of a big step back to March 1912......"

Ruth runs Women's History Tours in Edinburgh, Scotland and this is her review:

"Edith Hudson was born abroad but grew up in Glasgow, appearing in the 1901 census working as a nurse at Western Infirmary in that city.  But she gave up her job to dedicate herself to the suffrage movement.  She is someone I am currently researching, though If she is mentioned at all in books, it is mainly to do with her attempt, with others, to burn down Kelso racecourse in 1913.  But she did more than that, and in this incredible book Secret Missions of the Suffragettes: Glassbreakers and Safe Houses by talented Jennifer Godfrey - Author, published by Pen and Sword Books, Edith has her place in a whole chapter about those from Scotland who travelled to London to take part in this protest organised by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), which also talks about the wonderful 'Holloway Jingles'.

At the beginning of March 1912 over 250 women, many of whom had travelled to London to take part in this protest, took to the streets to smash windows of shops and offices. From 19 year old Ethel to 79 year old Hilda these women came from different backgrounds, locations, ages and stages of life, to say to the Government ‘Deeds not Words’. Normally this ‘Great Militant Protest’ is mentioned in suffrage books in a chapter, but to have a whole book researched and written about it is a great addition.
It is obvious from the very start that Jennifer has done a lot of research for this book, and weaves it throughout in a readable way.  There are many things I love about it, not least the whole chapter on Scottish participants.  But it is a book full of photos, extracts from letters and diaries, that looks at each woman and makes her an actual person rather than just a name in a list.  And there are also lists, which are so useful.  One of the reasons suffragette prisoners went on hunger strike was to protest about not being treated as a political prisoner.  In this book there is a table that shows what that meant, the difference between political prisoners and others, and how the suffragettes were treated.  Not always for the faint-hearted – the authorities were thoroughly fed up with these pesky women making a nuisance of themselves and sometimes made this clear in their treatment of them.  There is also a list of the different secret codes they used, as messages were smuggled in and out of the prison.

A lot of thought has also clearly gone into the way the research is presented.  Not just the writing, but also the tables of information, the photos used, and the brilliant images created by Daniel Atkinson of Dan Rhys Design.  Jennifer writes in a very compelling way, never assuming the reader has prior knowledge, but presenting the information in such a way you can’t help but want to read the book in one go!  There are so many untold stories within the covers which, as someone who spends a lot of her life highlighting forgotten or lesser known women, I 100% applaud.  

There is so much I love about this book that I could almost write a whole book about why I love it so!  But one other thing I want to highlight is Annex 1 at the end which is a list of the Glassbreakers – to see such a list really highlights how many were involved.  

I urge you to rush to your local library or bookshop to get hold of this brilliant book (or you can buy directly from Pen and Sword).  And then next time you find yourself in Edinburgh come on one of my walking tours to hear some more about those in Scotland who believed women should have the vote – and keep your eyes out for news of a walking tour next March which is solely on those involved in the suffrage movement!"

Protests & Suffragettes is a creative project and social enterprise which recovers and celebrates the histories of women activists across Scotland. In their review they say, "Secret Missions of the Suffragettes"...is "a deep dive into the suffragette campaign of glass breaking in 1912. The quirky illustrations by Dan Atkinson (Instagram @dan.rhys.design) of suffragettes and the buildings they targeted, brings them to life. The author uses so many different sources, so we hear from these women through their own words -  we 💜 direct quotes from changemakers!  

There’s a *whole chapter* about “The Scotch batch” who travelled from Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh with toffee hammers and rocks in their pockets. They published a poetry book - “Holloway Jingles”, published in Glasgow (and featured in our SuffragetteTrumps cards).  Many of the women described in ‘Secret Missions of the Suffragettes’ are familiar to us, but some are new! We know and love Janet Barrowman, Helen Crawfurd, Frances & Margaret McPhun, and speedy stenciller Marion Wallace Dunlop, who features in our SuffragetteTrumps.  New to us are Barbara Wylie, Emma Wylie, Alice Maud Shipley, Sara Wilson, Marion Grieve & Caxton McAlpine – and we CAN’T WAIT to start diving into the sources, and perhaps start some new Wikipedia articles! 

For knowledge activists like us, working to improve women’s visibility on @wikipedia, this book is a game changer. Having so many primary sources in a book that can be used to source wiki articles about scottish suffragettes is invaluable. Secret Missions of the Suffragettes’ is a timely contribution to the scholarship on the women's suffrage movement in the UK and the laser focus on detail is extremely satisfying. Check out your local library or bookshop to get your hands on a copy!"

"Firstly, you can tell that Jennifer suspires the topic itself. The sheer amount of detail threaded throughout engaged me on a level you often don’t get to experience. The book peels back the layers atop some wonderfully distinct characteristics of the suffragette movement.

What I loved so much is the attention given to so many members of this campaign long gone, whether simply in passing or in more depth; from Theresa Gough’s foreword to the Holloway Jingles to the care and concern of family members, it feels as if every cog gets a turn.

Jennifer captures so many aspects of both the glass-shattering events of March 1912 and the stories of the suffragette campaigns themselves. Overall, it’s a precise yet artful map of an integral part of our history, and a stunning read in many ways."