ABSTRACT
Having spent a joyful Christmas at Holmwood, the refreshed Christabel then travelled with the Lawrences to the small village of Villars in the Rhone Valley for a New Year break. But when the English visitors in the resort discovered that ‘Miss Pankhurst’ was in their midst, they sent a special invitation to her to give them an address on votes for women. Early in 1909 Christabel, in her powerful role as key strategist of the Women’s Social and Political Union, tried to bring to heel the Aberdeen branch which, contrary to Union policy, had close links with the local Liberal Party and did not favour dictates from London. On 5 January she sent a peremptory telegram to Aberdeen’s organiser, stating, ‘Sylvia Pankhurst arrives Thursday morning to take charge of local work. On 7 February, three days after the ball, Christabel penned another letter to Mary Phillips, this time congratulating her on ‘the excellent plans’ she had made at Newcastle.
