Surveillance Image of the Suffragette Prisoner Marguerite Sidle

Surveillance image of the Suffragette prisoner Marguerite Sidley. The image was taken by an undercover photographer concealed in a van in the yard of Holloway prison. It is likely to have been taken in March 1914 whilst Marguerite, an organiser of the Women's Freedom League was serving a short 4 day sentence for speaking from the steps of the Board of Trade Offices in Whitehall. This her third and final term of imprisonment was spent in the old part of Holloway Prison, Lilian Ball and herself being the only two Suffragettes in that wing. Marguerite appears to be wearing a WFL badge on her lapel suggesting the image was taken soon after her arrival in Holloway.
Marguerite was imprisoned on three occasions for militancy, once, in 1909 simply, she claimed, for going to the House of Commons and asking to see her MP.
Before becoming a Suffragette Marguerite trained as a shorthand-typist and was employed in a large firm of electrical engineers along with 12 other girls. On first hearing of the arrest of Suffragettes in 1906, she notes in a letter to the Suffragette Fellowship, 'the news led to much discussion in the office and great condemnation by the other girls' 'making me at once defend the Suffragettes although admitting I knew nothing about the movement but it stood to reason no woman would get herself arrested without 'very serious reason'. On the verge of a breakdown Marguerite gave up work in December 1906. In January 1907 she attended a Suffragette meeting in Great Portland Street with her Mother and on hearing speeches by Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence both Mother and daughter were inspired to join the WSPU. Marguerite was soon helping out at WSPU headquarters as a volunteer and took part in the raid on the House of Commons in March 1907 which led to her first arrest and 12 days imprisonment at the age of 21 years. She notes in a letter to the Suffragette Fellowship in 1928 that the prison Dr attempted to scare her into being bound over by diagnosing consumption but she resisted and endured imprisonment. On her release Marguerite's family took her to Eastbourne to recover. On her return to London she was offered paid employed as shorthand typist and chief clerk WSPU headquarters. On Drs order Marguerite gave up 'indoor work' and was transferred to the WSPU outdoor staff, first being sent to Hull to campaign on the by-election and subsequently to Lancashire, South Herefordshire, South Leeds, Northampton, Dewsbury and Manchester where she organised, chaired and spoke at meetings. In 1908 Marguerite left the WSPU and joined the WFL. She became a key participant in the WFL caravan campaigns travelling throught the country. In February 1909 Marguerite was sentenced to one month in Holloway during a deputation to the House of Commons. In 1912, due to ill health Marguerite joined the indoor staff at WFL headquarters and was in charge of the Hoxton Protection of Criminals campaign, supervising the daily arrest of the two suffragettes outside the DPP's office in Whitehall. This image was taken during her third and final term of imprisonment.