Flora Drummond

Flora Drummond
Flora Drummond at Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) meeting
Born	4 August, 1878 Manchester
Died	7 January 1949, 1949 Carradale
Nationality	UK
Other names	"The General"
Known for	daring stunts

Flora McKinnon Drummond (née Gibson, later Simpson), (born 4 August 1878 in Manchester– died 7 January 1949 in Carradale), was a British suffragette. Nicknamed The General for her habit of leading Women's Rights marches wearing a military style uniform 'with an officers cap and epaulettes' and riding on a large horse, Drummond was an organiser for the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and was imprisoned nine times for her activism in the Women's Suffrage movement. Drummond's main political activity was organising and leading rallies, marches and demonstrations. She was an accomplished and inspiring orator and had a reputation for being able to put down hecklers with ease.

Drummond was born on 4 August 1878 in Manchester to Sarah Cook and Francis Gibson. Her father was a tailor and whilst Flora was still a small child the family moved to Pirnmill on the Isle of Arran, where her mother had her roots. On leaving high-school at the age of fourteen Flora moved to Glasgow to take a business training course at a civil service school where she passed the qualifications to become a post-mistress but standing at 5 feet 1 inch (1.55 m) was refused a post as she did not meet the newly introduced minimum 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) height requirement. Although she went on to gain a Society of Arts qualification in shorthand and typing she still carried a resentment about the discrimination which meant that women, because of their smaller average height, were prevented from being postmistresses. After her marriage to Joseph Drummond she moved back to the town of her birth and along with her husband was active in the Fabian Society and the Independent Labour Party.