Janet McCallum

Janet "Jenny or Jennie" McCallum or Janet Richardson (21 July 1881 – 24 March 1946) was a Scottish trade unionist and working-class suffragette in a movement which was predominantly made up of middle and upper-class activists. as a winder until 1908. She was unusual in becoming a working-class woman who was active in the women's suffrage movement.

Activism

Trade unionism As a young woman, McCallum was involved with trade union activities. In 1907 she organised what was called a "Great Demonstration" where the national leaders of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), including Christabel Pankhurst and other national leaders, came to West Fife.

Suffrage activism By 1908, McCallum and her sister had joined in the Women's Freedom League. In the summer of 1908, McCallum was involved with influencing by-elections in Liberal party strongholds, a tactic frequently used by women's suffrage activists at this time. were inside the Ladies Gallery of the House of Commons, and began to shout, "Mr Speaker, members of the Liberal Government, we have listened behind the grille long enough. The women of England demand the vote."

She spent five days in Holloway Prison before being released on grounds of ill health. She was among a group of "prisoners" - people who had been sent to prison for the cause. Other groups were graduates, teachers, athletes, musicians and actresses. Many of the groups carried banners.

As a wage-earner, McCallum's income was important to her family. They had three children. McCallum's WLF medal was rediscovered in the possession of her descendants in South Africa as part of the research around the naming campaign. The educational resource also included a Top Trumps-style game called Scotland's Suffragettes Trumps, produced by Protests and Suffragettes (an organisation led by artists, activists and local historians). Women's History Scotland's Dr. Yvonne McFadden called the game 'a fun and important tool to make sure these women and their stories' are included in the Scottish school curriculum, as women's history is often limited in school history teaching.