Sonnet to the Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison (1872–1913)

This piece is a sonnet written for the British suffragette Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913) who died on 8 June 1913 after being badly injured, four days earlier, when she rushed onto the Derby racecourse and attempted to grab the reins of Anmer, the King's horse. An article by June Purvis titled 'The Battles of 1918 Go On', in the Times Higher Education, 7 August 2008, which mentioned the struggles of women in the past for equality and also their struggles today, including the debate within the Church of England's General Synod about whether women should become bishops, inspired the author to visit Emily's grave which is very close to her home. She now visits it regularly, and has composed this sonnet to her.