Leonora Tyson

Leonora Tyson, Suffragette. This portrait of Leonora was taken by the female photographer Lena Connell.
Leonora (1883-1959), her mother Helen and sister Diana joined the WSPU around 1908. In 1909 Leonora became honorary secretary of the Streatham branch and in 1910, organising secretary of the Lambeth branch. As well as attending weekly meetings on Streatham Common, Leonora was an effective fundraiser for the campaign organising Streatham's contribution to the Women's Exhibition of 1909. In 1911 she took part in the Census boycott by spending census night, along with other Suffragettes, at her local WSPU branch shop at 5 Shrubbery Road, Streatham. Leonora was bi-lingual, her Father being German. In October 1911 she represented the WSPU at the Women's Congress in Hamburg, the following year she returned to Germany for a speaking tour on female suffrage.
In March 1912 Leonora served her only prison sentence for militancy. Sentenced to two months hard labour for breaking windows at Government Offices she went on hunger strike and was force-fed. From her prison letters Leonora indicates that she went on hunger strike from Sunday 14th April at 4pm and was first force-fed on Wednesday 17th April at 5pm. She was released from prison on 8th May 1912. On the 10th May,along with 3 fellow released Suffragettes Leonora attended a Prisoners Reception at Streatham Town Hall, organised by the Streatham WSPU branch where she was presented with a silver medal. Leonora also received an official hunger-strike medal from the WSPU.