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| King George V |
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| Emily Davison |
One hundred years ago this year, the
1913 Epsom Derby made headlines for every reason but the sport itself. A woman had
stepped in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer as the field rounded Tattenham
Corner for the home straight. This woman was Emily Davison; a suffragette of
the early part of the 20th Century who had been involved in high
profile, violent, and extreme forms of protest for Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s
Social and Political Union (WSPU) since 1906. The story of that day, and of
Emily Davison, is more than just a couple of pages in history. A copy of ‘The
Suffragette’ newspaper following Davison’s death bore the caption, “She died
for women.” This is that story:
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| Davison is thrown to the ground upon collision |
The modern day Derby still
maintains a touch of royalty with the Queen regularly attending, but the
elitism is not seen to the same extent as past centuries. From its first
running in 1780, the race was an elite event, attended by the King and Royal
family, and large cohorts of the upper middle classes. On the day in question, June
5, 1913, both Queen Mary and King George V had come to watch the Derby. The
middle part of the track away from the King and the grandstand was a free area,
and this is where the working-class crowds would congregate to enjoy the
racing. It was amidst these crowds that Emily Davison placed herself at the
sharp turn of the famous Tattenham Corner of the track, holding her Suffragette
banner of purple, white, and green.
As the first large group of runners thundered past, Davison pushed her way to the rail and emerged onto the track. She attempted to grab the bridle of Anmer who was in the second group, but with the horse travelling over 30mph, she was thrown to the ground in a blur of flailing limbs and kicked up turf. Some eyewitnesses claimed the woman had just been attempting to cross the track, thinking all the horses had passed, but it is widely thought her intention was to disrupt the race, and not sacrifice herself for the cause. This contention was supported by the fact a return train ticket and ticket for a Suffragette dance had been found in her handbag following the incident. Some say she may have been attempting to attach the Suffragette banner to Anmer to garner publicity. Davison was taken to Epsom Cottage Hospital with severe head injuries for treatment, but four days later, on June 8 1913, Emily Davison passed away. Herbert Jones, the jockey of Anmer suffered a mild concussion, but moreover, he is quoted as saying he was “haunted by that woman’s face” for years afterward. He was found dead by his son in 1951 having taken his own life.
As the first large group of runners thundered past, Davison pushed her way to the rail and emerged onto the track. She attempted to grab the bridle of Anmer who was in the second group, but with the horse travelling over 30mph, she was thrown to the ground in a blur of flailing limbs and kicked up turf. Some eyewitnesses claimed the woman had just been attempting to cross the track, thinking all the horses had passed, but it is widely thought her intention was to disrupt the race, and not sacrifice herself for the cause. This contention was supported by the fact a return train ticket and ticket for a Suffragette dance had been found in her handbag following the incident. Some say she may have been attempting to attach the Suffragette banner to Anmer to garner publicity. Davison was taken to Epsom Cottage Hospital with severe head injuries for treatment, but four days later, on June 8 1913, Emily Davison passed away. Herbert Jones, the jockey of Anmer suffered a mild concussion, but moreover, he is quoted as saying he was “haunted by that woman’s face” for years afterward. He was found dead by his son in 1951 having taken his own life.
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| The Suffragette, June 13, 1913 |
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| The Daily Sketch, June 5, 1913 |
The reaction to Emily
Davison’s death was varied, with ‘The Suffragette’ dedicating its June 13th
front page to a tribute to her, but the Daily Sketch describing the whole race,
including the Davison incident, a disqualified horse, and a 100/1 winner as “History’s
Most Wonderful Derby”. The Royal reaction included a diary entry by King George
V which read, “poor Herbert Jones and Anmer had been sent flying” on a “most
disappointing day”, while Queen Mary sent Jones a telegram wishing him well
after his “sad accident caused through the abominable conduct of a brutal
lunatic woman”. An unread letter from Emily Davison’s mother was left at her
bedside contained the telling words, “I cannot believe that you could have done
such a dreadful act. Even for the Cause which I know you have given up your
whole heart and soul to, and it has done so little in return for you.”
Emily Davison’s funeral
attracted a large crowd, and her gravestone bears the WSPU slogan, "Deeds
not words". The funeral was held in London on June 14, 1913 and her coffin
was brought by train to Morpeth for burial on June 15. She was buried in the
same plot as her father who died twenty years previous in 1893. Some historians
subsequently argued that Davison’s actions on June 5 had damaged the Suffragist
Movement because of how highly respected the Royal family were at the time in
Britain, but the day has survived as a symbol of women’s struggle for equal
rights in the early part of the 20th century.
This is a timeline charting the Suffragist Movement in Britain in the late 19th, and early 20th centuries
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