The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

prisoners by the leadership of the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...

(WSPU). During their imprisonment, many went on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

while serving their sentences in the prisons of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for acts of militancy in their campaign for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

. Many women were force-fed and their individual medals were created to reflect this. The WSPU awarded a range of military-style campaign medals to raise morale and encourage continued loyalty and commitment to the cause. The Hunger Strike Medals were designed by

Sylvia Pankhurst Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (; 5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was an English Feminism, feminist and Socialism, socialist activist and writer. Following encounters with women-led labour activism in the United States, she worked to organise worki ...

and first presented by leadership of the

WSPU The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...

at a ceremony in early August 1909 to women who had gone on hunger strike while serving a prison sentence. Later the medals would be presented at a breakfast reception on a woman's release from prison.

Background

On 5 July 1909, suffragette

Marion Wallace Dunlop Marion Wallace Dunlop (22 December 1864 – 12 September 1942) was a Scottish artist, author and illustrator of children's books, and suffragette. She was the first and one of the most well known British suffrage activists to go on hunger stri ...

began her hunger strike in

Holloway Prison HM Prison Holloway was a British prison security categories, closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, ...

. She had been sentenced to one month for stenciling a message from the

Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...

on the wall of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. The prison authorities considered her a criminal prisoner whereas she viewed herself as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

and began her strike in objection to this classification. Her strike lasted 91 hours, ending only because the prison released her to avoid her death. The hunger strike was Wallace Dunlop's idea and she did it without informing the leadership of the WSPU. Many others quickly imitated her.

Medal description

The round and hallmarked silver medals hang on a length of ribbon in the purple, white and green colours of the

. This hangs from a silver pin bar engraved with 'For Valour', in imitation of the inscription found on the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. The front of the medal is inscribed 'Hunger Strike', while the reverse is engraved the recipient's name surrounded by a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

. The medals were made by Toye & Co. and their manufacture cost the

£1.00 each. The silver bars on the medal were awarded for periods of hunger strike and are engraved on the reverse with the date that the recipient was arrested leading to a hunger strike. The enamelled purple, white and green bars for

force-feeding Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose (nasogastric tube, nasogastric) or mouth (o ...

are similarly engraved on the reverse. The sculptor

Edith Downing Edith Elizabeth Downing (January 1857 – 3 October 1931) was a British artist, sculptor and suffragette. Life Edith Elizabeth Downing was born in Cardiff, Wales in January 1857. She was one of four children of the coal merchant and shipping ...

's medal bar is engraved with 'Fed by Force 1/3/12' - the date that she was imprisoned which subsequently lead to her

and forcible feeding. The medals could be issued with more than one bar representing multiple hunger strikes or force-feeding.Grant, Kevin. (2019
''Last Weapons: Hunger Strikes and Fasts in the British Empire, 1890–1948''

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

. p. 59

Presentation

Each Hunger Strike Medal was presented in a purple box with a green velvet lining. A piece of white silk was fitted inside the lid which was printed in gold with the dedication: 'Presented to

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by the

in recognition of a gallant action, whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship a great principle of political justice was vindicated'.

Surviving medals

The

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

holds the medal awarded to the suffragette leader Mrs

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (; Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the women's suffrage, right to vote in United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

who went on hunger strike during a two-month prison sentence in 1912 for throwing a stone at a window of

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

Helen MacRae Helen MacRae (fl. 1909–1914) was a British suffragette who won a Hunger Strike Medal from the Women's Social and Political Union, and was one of those who embroidered the '' Suffragette's Handkerchief'' whilst in prison. Life Macrae and her ...

's Hunger Strike Medal in its case was auctioned in 2015 to a private collector, for £12,300, Lockdales Auctioneer's auction manager, James Sadler said 'These are among the most historically important items we have ever dealt with.' A medal found in a drawer awarded to suffragette

Elsie Wolff Van Sandau Elsie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Elsie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lily Elsie (1886–1952), English actress and singer born Elsie Hodder * Robert Elsie (1950–2017), Canadian expert in Albani ...

who was arrested for smashing a window in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

on 4 March 1912 and who went on hunger strike in prison was sold at auction in 2019 for £12,500.Suffragette's hunger strike medal found after 100 years
''BBC News''. 30 May 2019. A medal belonging to suffragette

Selina Martin Selina Martin (21 November 1882 – 1972) was a member of the Suffragette, suffragette movement in the early 20th century. She was arrested several times. Her Hunger Strike Medal given 'for Valour' by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU ...

, auctioned in Nottingham in 2019, expected to fetch £15,000-£20,000 was bought by the National Gallery of

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

for £27,000. The

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

purchased Frances Parker's medal in 2016. The

Museum of Australian Democracy Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 after Parliament's relocation from Melbourne to the new capit ...

holds the medal awarded to

Charlotte Blacklock Charlotte Blacklock (1857–1931) was a British suffragette, given a Hunger Strike Medal for her going on a hunger strike in the cause of women's right to vote. Life Blacklock was born in 1857 in Brighton, Sussex as the youngest child of Jos ...

. The medal awarded to Kate Williams Evans was sold at auction as part of a collection in 2018 which realised £48,640. It is now in the collection of

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, branded as simply Amgueddfa Cymru (formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales and legally National Museum of Wales), is a Welsh Government sponsored body that comprises seven museums in Wales: * N ...

.Suffragette hunger strike medal archive sold for Catherine Southon house record to National Museum Wales -
''

Antiques Trade Gazette Metropress Limited, trading as Auction Technology Group, is a digital marketplace business listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: ATG). It also publishes ''Antiques Trade Gazette'' which is a London-based weekly publication and website servi ...

'' 26 July 2018 Rosamund Massy's medal and

Holloway brooch The Holloway brooch was presented by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) to women who had been imprisoned at HM Prison Holloway, Holloway Prison for militant suffragette activity. It is also referred to as the "Portcullis badge", the "H ...

are buried inside the plinth of the statue of

in London. In September 2023,

Glasgow Women's Library Glasgow Women's Library is a public library, registered company and charity based in the Bridgeton, Glasgow, Bridgeton area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the only accredited museum dedicated to women's history and provides information relevant to ...

decided to buy

Maud Joachim Maud Joachim (1 August 1869 – 16 February 1947) was a member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), one of the groups of suffragettes that fought for women to get the right to vote in the United Kingdom. She was jailed several time ...

's medal as it was awarded for the first WSPU hunger strike in Scotland. The money raising campaign was successful and it was brought back to the library in October.

In popular culture

The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a British period drama television series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, ...

'' featured an episode with an elderly suffragette played by

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actress.Annette Crosbie fi ...

who gifted her Hunger Strike Medal to one of the nurses who cared for her.

Medal recipients

Emily Wilding Davison by Andrew William Dron

there are 82 known medal recipients. If known, this list also contains the dates of their arrest as inscribed on their medals.

Likely medal recipients

These women are WSPU hunger strikers who therefore meet the conditions to have been awarded a medal but the evidence of their medal has yet to be located. NB This does not appear to a full list of the hunger strikers. For example, in January 2022 this Wikipedia page had 9 names with surname beginning P and the Home Office List has 13

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunger Strike Medal Awards established in 1909 First-wave feminism in the United Kingdom Social history of the United Kingdom Women's Social and Political Union Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom Feminism and the arts Hunger strikes 1909 establishments in the United Kingdom Medals