100 years on from Emily Davison’s death, her battle is not yet won

In April’s local elections, only one in three of those eligible to vote actually did so. What proportion of those voters were women? It’s difficult to get an exact percentage, but in most UK elections, women account for just under half of the turnout. In general elections, female turnout is just over 60 percent. Bearing that in mind, it might seem incredible that 100 years ago today, one woman died so that the rest of us could vote. On the day of the Epsom Derby – 4th June 1913 – Emily Wilding Davison ran out in front of the King’s Horse, a three-year-old gelding named Anmer, and died four days later from her injuries.

Many of Emily’s critics – both then and now – dismissed her actions by claiming they were the work of a madwoman. Just days after the Derby incident, Queen Alexandra, the Queen Mother, described Emily as a ‘brutal lunatic woman’ in a telegram to the jockey, Bertie Jones.