Suffragettes Again

Incendiary images from Plymouth, at the sharp end of the campaign for women's votes.

These incendiary images testify to the fiery passions aroused by the movement for women's suffrage. Suffragettes protesting the recent arrest of Mrs Pankhurst had apparently set fire to the timber yard adjoining property belonging to Hancock's fairground in Devonport, Plymouth. Pathe's cameraman made it in time to capture on film the site still ablaze and being hosed down by firemen.

It's in the nature of newsreel to be better at recording effects (the more visually striking the better) than analysing causes. Viewers wouldn't have learnt much about the pros and cons of women's suffrage from Pathe's coverage - other than that it was a truly burning issue.