Photograph of Whitehall cleaners on protest in London, 1st February 1949

A photograph of a group of women protestors at a demonstration. The protestors, all cleaners in Whitehall, hold mops and signs with slogans including “rent to pay, food to buy, kids to keep, what’s left?” and “cleanliness is next to godliness, women cleaners are next to starvation”. The caption on the reverse reads: “Mrs. Mop on Parade. Enraged with the offer of an extra farthing per hour granted by Sir Stafford Cripps, hundreds of Whitehall’s women cleaners organised a protest march today to draw attention to their current rate of pay, which is 1 and ¼ d per hour. The picture shows some of the charwomen at the beginning of their march through London streets to Lincoln’s Inn, where the protest meeting was to be held.” The photograph was sourced from Central Press Photos Ltd.