Votes For Women. Miss Elsie Howey

Postcard portrait of Elsie Howey wearing her Holloway prison medal. The wording on the postcard 'Votes For Women' 'Miss Elsie Howey, Organizer: National Women's Social and Political Union' 4 Clements Inn confirms the production is too early for the issuing of hunger strike medals. This is is likely Elsie is wearing a prison medal engraved with her wing and cell number in Holloway. On the back is handwriten 'Dear Helena WIth loving Xmas wishes from Mary' and the card is addressed to 'James Kilburn, 60 Station Street, Loughborough'.
In a letter to the Suffragette Fellowship in the 1930s Elsie's Mother refers to a daughter named Mary. It is possible Elsie used the name 'Mary' within the family to distinguish her from her Mother who shared the same Christian name. It is likely, therefore, this postcard was either sent by Elsie or a sister called Mary to a friend or comrade.
Elsie Howey was a committed Suffragette. She travelled the country as a salaried WSPU Organiser and served several terms of imprisonment for militancy. She was also a member of the Young Hot Bloods, a group of young suffragettes, fiercely loyal to Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst. This secretive group, dedicated to carrying out 'danger duty' met every Saturday at 4.30pm in Alan's Tea Rooms in Oxford Street and were used by the WSPU to lead protests, organise parliamentary demonstrations and harass government ministers. Elsie also memorably attended Suffragette processions riding a white horse and dressed as Joan of Arc. In a letter to the Suffragette Fellowship her Mother, also a Suffragette campaigner noted Elsie, required 4 months medical treatment to recover from force feeding. 'Her beautiful voice was ruined'