Hewitt's History Files

And yet moments later, she managed to find her way back in, popping up in the orchestra pit to ask her question again.

The audience guffawed, but the stewards still scrambled to expel her on that day in Birmingham in 1908.

It was an incident typical of the woman, a fearless fighter for the cause she passionately believed in - until exhaustion broke her health.

After years in India, she settled in Burpham near Arundel - and it's that fact that qualifies her for inclusion in Helena Wojtczak's remarkable new book.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette July 30