Mr William Ball

Other sources: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4769024
Angela John and Claire Eustance, The Men's Share? Masculinities, Male Support and Women's Suffrage in Britain, 1890?1920 (1997)

Database linked sources: https://www.suffrageresources.org.uk/resource/3228/men-in-the-suffrage-movement

Family information: William had five children.

Additional Information: William was a working class man and 'suffragette' who went to prison for breaking windows at the Home Office in 1911. He was likely a member of the Men's Political Union for Women's Enfranchisement (MPU) and broke the windows to protest at the treatment of another MPU member in prison. Explaining his support for women's suffrage in court, he said that his family was made up of both daughters and sons and that he wanted 'as much protection for his girls as he did for his boys'. He was sentenced to two months' hard labour and declined to take prison food unless he could order his own. This courtesy was extended to first-class political prisoners only, but had been offered to fellow MPU member Hugh Franklin when he had asked for the same thing. Hugh was from a wealthy middle class family. William was not. He was stripped by the warders and was then forcibly fed twice a day for over five weeks. He was recorded after that time as 'restless and talking wildly'. William was quickly discharged into a mental asylum without any consultation with his own doctors or with his wife, who was not informed. Official compaints were sent to the Home Office about his horrific treatment. An enquiry was ordered but it was biased and set out to exonerate the prison and the goverment from any responsibility for William's condition, despite evidence strongly showing otherwise. Instead, the report blamed William's breakdown on his 'defective' character, 'feeble intellect' and the excitement of his 'suffrage activities'. This was a tactic that was often used to try to belittle men who stood up for the women's suffrage cause. In 1912, William was back in prison again after another suffrage protest. This says much about the real strength of his character and the courage he had in supporting votes for women.

Other Suffrage Activities: William was probably a member of the Birmingham National Transport Workers Federation. He may have been a tailor whose business had failed and so was working as a labourer instead during the suffrage campaign.