| Main Performers | Neville Chamberlain,
Lord Derby (Secretary for War),
Mr Prothero (President of the Board of Agriculture),
Mr John Hodge (Minister for Labour),
Mrs H J Tennant (Director of the woman's section of National Service),
Miss Violet Markham - speakers |
| Choirs | Royal Patriotic Choral Society |
| Set List | Organ Recital (H L Balfour),
'The Comrades' Song of Hope', Adam (Royal Choral Society)
Song: 'Fairest Isle', Purcell (Royal Choral Society),
'And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time' (Jerusalem), Parry (Royal Choral Society),
Welsh National Song: 'Land of My Fathers', James (Royal Choral Society),
Folk Song: 'O No, John', arr. Cecil J Sharp (Royal Choral Society),
Folk Song: 'Dashing Away With the Smoothing Iron', arr. Cecil J Sharp (Royal Choral Society),
'Home, Sweet Home' (Royal Choral Society),
'Here's a Health Unto His Majesty', Savile (Royal Choral Society),
Thanks to and message from The Queen (Chairman),
Message from Sir E.Carson (Chairman),
Speech (Neville Chamberlain),
Speech (Mrs Tennant),
Speech (Mr Prothero),
Speech (Lord Derby),
Speech (Miss Violet Markham),
Thanks (Mr Hodge),
'God Save the King' (The National Anthem) (Audience, Royal Choral Society) |
| Royal Presence | HM Queen Mary,
HRH Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Performance Notes | "WOMEN'S MEETING AT THE ALBERT HALL
NO MORE RESERVED SEATS
Mrs Tennat, the director of the Women's Department of National Service, and her assistant-director, Miss Violet markham, having decided to make the meeting at the Albert Hall on Saturday free, and open to all women who can come, it follows that no furthe rapplications for reserved seats can be entertained. The number of applications has been so great, owing to the announcement that the Queen has decided to relax her rule against attending meetings of any kind, and would occupy the Royal box, that if any more seats were allotted the meeting could not be open to the public.
If the attendance is such as to warrant it an overflow meeting will be held on the steps of the hall, and the speakers as they conclude their addresses within the hall may repeat them outside. The Royal Patriotic Choral Society will sing patriotic songs. The only men present will be Mr Neville Chamberlain, who will preside, Lord Derby, Mr Prothero and Mr Hodge.
It is expected that Lady Haig, Lady Jellicoe, and Lady Beatty, will occupy seats in the boxes, and among others who have accepted invitations to attend are the Dowager Lady Londonderry, Lady Onslow, Lady Plymouth, Lady Exeter, Lady Bryce, Lady Sydenham, Lady Bertha Dawkins, Lady Salisbury, Lady Northbrook, Lady Lytton, and Lady Stradbroke.
All the wome's societies have had boxes alloted to them, and in many cases also seats in the stalls."
(The Times, 13 March 1917)
The event was attended by HM Queen Mary, who felt it to be of great importance to be present, despite not usually attending public meetings. The event attempted to convince the women present and through them the women of the Empire of the necessity of all working together towards final victory during the First World War.
In the Royal Box were Lady Haig, wife of Sir Douglas Haig, Lady Robertson, the wives of the High Commissioners of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Adelina Duchess of Bedford, Mrs Creighton and Mrs Massey, wife of the Premier of New Zealand. Other attendees included matrons-in-chief and representatives of the military and naval nursing services in uniform, and representatives of the National Federation of Women Workers - these three groups were the first women to render national service to the country at the outbreak of War.
Women on the platform besides speakers included Mrs Furse (Commandent-in-chief of the Voluntary Aid Detachments), Miss Anderson (Chief Woman Factory Inspector), Miss Talbot (Head of Women's Labour Department, Board of Agriculture), Mrs Peel (Director at the Ministry of Food), Lady Crewe (National Service Department), Lady Derby, Mrs Neville Chamberlain, Lady Curzon, Mrs Austen Chamberlain, Lady Cowans, Lady Rhondda, Lady Emmott, Mrs Lowther, Mrs Asquith, Lady Dodds, Lady Brade, Lady Baglan (representing women of the Isle of Man).
In the stalls were peeresses, wives of Lord Lieutenants, wives of members of Parliament, women officials from the London County Councty (LCC), representatives of women's colleges, women officials from the Homes Office, the Local Government Board, the Ministry of Munitions, and the Ministry of Labour, and also women representing the war agricultural committees throughout the country.
"From midday, though the meeting was timed to begin at 3, there was a queue of women which circled the hall, and which had increased to astonishing proportions by 2 o'clock. Soon after 2 tho seating accommodation was taxed to its uttermost and about a thousand women were standing around the galleries, destined to see and hear very little. A large number who could not get in remained in the hope of meeting outside and were joined by throngs from the park whom the beauty of the day drew out of doors. These were subsequently addressed by Mrs Tennant at a meeting over which Mr Yeo MP presided, and Mr Prothero. A good many men listened to the open air speeches, but with the exception of the speakers on the platform and Mr H J Tennant and his son Major Carruthers (Miss Violet Markham's husband), who were in the Prince of Wale's box, there were no men present in the Hall."
(The Times, 19 March 1917)
Neville Chamberlain emphasized the fact that domestic duties were vital and essential to the nation, since war played havoc with the young men of Britain. Mrs H.J.Tennant spoke of women's war work and announced that women would soon be required for felling trees and preparing timber, and that house-to-house calls would be made for donations of cotton and wool. Mr Prothero outlined a scheme for the land asking for women with experience on the land to train for land work and for women who would stick to the work through summer and winter. He also stated the rate of minimum wages would be 18s per week (set forth in a leaflet circulated at the meeting). Lord Derby urged women to 'stand by' for V.A.D. work. Miss Violet Markham made a plea to women for nursing in all its branches and stated almost 1 million women had entered wage-earning professions since the beginning of the War.
At the start of the meeting a woman in the gallery shouted, "I am here in behalf of the Women's Suffrage Federation to express our strong opposition to National Service, because we know it means industrial compulsion", which was greeted with hissing from the audience. A similar interruption was made later in the meeting. |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1917/13),
Illustration (RAHE/9/1917/1) |