The Women's Coronation Procession was the largest women's suffrage march ever held in Britain, uniting at least 28 organisations and 40,000 marchers.
Key Facts
- Date
- 17 June 1911
- Number of marchers
- 40,000 people
- Suffrage organisations represented
- At least 28
- Route
- Westminster to the Albert Hall, South Kensington
- Duration of march
- Two and a half hours
- Organising body
- Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
With the Coronation of George V approaching and a Conciliation Bill debate pending in Parliament, suffrage campaigners saw an opportunity to demonstrate the breadth and strength of the women's suffrage movement to both the public and the new monarch, pressing for legislative action on votes for women.
On 17 June 1911, some 40,000 people marched from Westminster to the Albert Hall under the organisation of the WSPU, led by Charlotte Despard and Flora Drummond on horseback. The procession united at least 28 suffrage organisations, drawing participants from across the British Isles and the British Empire, including occupational, religious, and international delegations.
The procession stood as the largest women's suffrage march in British history at that time, publicly demonstrating the movement's scale and cross-organisational unity. It drew widespread press coverage and placed renewed pressure on Parliament ahead of the Conciliation Bill debate, though full women's suffrage in Britain would not be achieved until 1918 and 1928.