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In the winter of 1914, women didn’t have the right to vote but they did have a voice. The women in Manchester decided to write an open Christmas letter under the heading ‘On Earth Peace, Goodwill Towards Men’.

It was a heartfelt call for peace following the start of World War One; addressed to the ladies of Germany and Austria calling for an end to the fighting. It was signed by more than 100 women from all over the world including Manchester’s first female councillor Margaret Ashton, Syliva Pankhurst – the Manchester born daughter of suffragette movement co-founder; Emmeline Pankhurst – and Mahatma Gandhi’s wife.

The letter was sent via the American press because British suffragists were prevented from directly communicating with those in Germany. And in March 1915, an empathetic response to the letter from German and Austrian women was published in the international newspaper Jus Suffragii.

The Manchester open letter has been described as one of the jewels of Manchester’s archive collection.

Location: St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD
Image: Sylvia Pankhurst

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