Laura Geraldine Lennox (27 April 1883 – 1958), was a

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 ...

and a volunteer in Paris during the First World War.

Biography

Laura Geraldine Lennox was born in

Durrus Durrus () is a village and civil parish in West Cork in Ireland. It is situated from Bantry in County Cork, at the head of the Sheep's Head and the Mizen Head peninsulas. Durrus is on the Wild Atlantic Way driving route which spans the Irish ...

, West Cork in 27 April 1883 to Edward and Adelaide Lennox. She spent some time living in Cork city where she went to school, before she went to London where she became well known as a suffragette. She was one of the 500,000 women who marched in Hyde Park, London on Sunday 21 June 1908 protesting their right to the vote. Lennox was responsible for organising the Irish women involved. By 1910 Lennox was working for the ''Votes for Women'' newspaper and she was involved in the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). When

Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bord ...

was writing for the new paper called the Suffragette in 1912, Lennox was the sub-editor. Lennox was arrested in April 1913 when the offices of the WSPU was raided. She was sentenced to 6 months in Bristol Prison where she became one of the women who underwent hunger strike. During this time there was a policy to release women when they became extremely ill and once they recovered they were rearrested. Lennox was released and then just week after that she was arrested again and then released after just another four days later. On one such occasion Lennox spotted the police waiting for her and with assistance, she escaped back to Cork. Lennox was awarded the

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

and

Hunger Strike Medal The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, they went on hunger strike while serving th ...

for her activities. In Cork she founded a local WSPU branch. However the First World War interrupted the suffragette activities. Lennox went to France to assist her friends Henry and Agnes Harben who had turned their hotel, the Hotel Majestic, in Paris into a hospital. Her brother was serving in the war and Lennox acted as nurse and administrator in the hotel. Her health was seriously affected during her time there and her brother died during the war. Lennox was awarded the

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British World War I campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in Nov ...

. After the war, Lennox returned to London where she set up a typing agency to employ women who had been widowed by the war. She also helped found the

Women's Pioneer Housing Women's Pioneer Housing is a British housing association founded in 1920, the first dedicated to housing single women. History Women's Pioneer Housing was founded in 1920, to help provide housing for the new generation of single, professional wom ...

. Lennox died in 1958.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lennox, Laura Geraldine 1883 births 1958 deaths Irish suffragettes Artists from County Cork Hunger Strike Medal recipients