Emmeline went to live with her sister Ada Goulden Bach, at 2 Elsham Road,
Kensington and for the first few weeks over Christmas and the New Year of
1926, while she was recovering her health, all press enquiries were handled by
her old suffrage friend, Flora Drummond. She was deeply shocked when she
heard that Sylvia was living with an Italian socialist and anarchist, Silvio
Erasmus Corio, whom she refused to marry. For Emmeline who had been
crusading for the moral uplifting of society, Sylvia’s behaviour emulated the
sexual irresponsibility of men and did not bring emancipation for women. She
had once told Rheta Childe Dorr, ‘I think it might be a good thing if Sylvia
found a husband, an artist preferably, for Sylvia began by being a painter.’^1 But a
socialist and anarchist, who already had two children from previous liaisons,
without a marriage licence, was not regarded as a suitable partner for a
Pankhurst daughter.
As soon as she knew her mother was in London, Sylvia hastened to visit her
and, according to her account, ‘the old affection overwhelmed us. Then, as the
first rush of joy and sadness passed, a gulf remained.’ Mary, however, who was
sitting down to tea with Mother and Aunt Ada when Sylvia called, had a
different recollection of the meeting. When the door opened and Sylvia came
in ‘Mother put her cup down, and I can remember this – I must have been
about 11 – put her cup down with quite a crack, and she got up and she walked
out. She walked straight past this lady, went upstairs and shut her bedroom
door, and nothing would make her come down.’ Sylvia was extremely upset and
wept, uncontrollably. ‘Aunt Ada was giving her tea and trying to comfort her
and everything else, and she cried and cried and cried, because she couldn’t get
Mother to speak to her.’^2
By the end of January 1926, the press was buzzing with the news of
Emmeline’s return after eight years’ absence. The Manchester Guardianreported
that although her hair was white, she had the same erect bearing, the same
bright, watchful eyes, and the old skill in answering or turning difficult ques-
tions. Emmeline explained that although a new campaign was beginning to win
an equal franchise for women, her next fight would not be for this cause but for
industrial peace, improved housing, new electricity schemes for homes and
nancy kaufman
(Nancy Kaufman)
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