16 Facts About Janie Allan

Jane "Janie" Allan was a Scottish activist and fundraiser for the suffragette movement of the early 20th century.

Janie Allan was born to Jane Smith and Alexander Allan, members of a wealthy Glaswegian family that owned the Allan Line shipping company.

In common with many of her family, Allan held socialist political views and helped the city's poor.

Janie Allan was an early member of the Independent Labour Party, and she edited a column covering women's suffrage issues for the socialist newspaper Forward.

In May 1902, Janie Allan was instrumental in re-founding the Glasgow branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage as the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association for Women's Suffrage, and was a member of its executive committee.

Janie Allan was a significant financial supporter, and as one of the GWSAWS vice-presidents she took up a position on the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies committee in 1903, in order to represent the association following their affiliation.

In 1906, Janie Allan was among the audience when Teresa Billington toured Scotland, although the GWSAWS themselves refused to invite Billington to speak.

In 1907, concerned that the non-violent GWSAWS was not being as effective as it should have been, Janie Allan resigned from their executive committee and joined the WSPU, although she maintained her subscription to GWSAWS until 1909.

In early March 1912, along with over 100 others Janie Allan participated in a window smashing protest in central London.

Janie Allan's imprisonment was widely publicised, and around 10,500 people from Glasgow signed a petition to protest for her freedom.

At her trial on 1 March 1913, Janie Allan defended herself and argued that as women were not considered 'persons' under the Franchise Act, they should not be considered 'persons' under the Finance Act either.

On 9 March 1914, Emmeline Pankhurst, the WSPU national leader, was to address a public meeting at St Andrew's Halls in the city, and Janie Allan was in attendance.

Ethel Moorhead said Janie Allan had a presence due to her height, beauty and quietness.

Janie Allan tried in vain for six months afterwards to get a public enquiry into police behaviour.

Janie Allan donated a large sum of money to Dr Flora Murray and Dr Louisa Garrett Anderson that enabled the founding of the Women's Hospital Corps.

Janie Allan died in April 1968 at her home in Invergloy, near Spean Bridge in the Scottish Highlands, one month after her 100th birthday.