Did the Suffragettes burn down Leuchars Station?

This was a Balmullo Newsletter Article in 2010.

Did you know that the Suffragettes were suspected of burning down Leuchars Junction Station?

In a report in the ‘Fife News and East Coast Chronicle’ of 5^th July 1913 the headline read:

“LEUCHARS JUNCTION STATION DESTROYED BY FIRE. SUFFRAGISTS SUSPECTED.”

The station was completely ‘wrecked’ with only brick and ironwork remaining.
The fire happened in the early hours of Sunday morning. It was discovered at 1:25 a.m. by a signalman, who was on duty in his signal box 200 yards away. He ran down the line and realised it was too much for him to deal with alone. He ran to Leuchars Village and roused railway officials living there. Within minutes they were all rushing towards the station and a messenger was on his way to Guardbridge to rouse the Paperworks Fire Brigade.

By 2 a.m. a hose was playing on the fire but to little effect.

By 3 a.m. a group of police officers from St Andrews had arrived. Railway engineers and officials came by special train from Edinburgh and by a goods train from Dundee.

They soon found evidence of arson. The remains of a number of flasks and canisters were found just inside the station door. Each could have held about a pint of liquid. It was conjectured that these containers were dropped through a fanlight above the door. As they were dropped some would fall over and the addition of a lighted match would start the fire.

The flasks found were very similar to those used in recent fires at the Gatty Marine Laboratory, St Andrews and at Farrington Hall, Dundee. These fires were known to be the work of suffragettes. Suffragettes would usually leave leaflets near the scene of their fires and nothing like this was found at Leuchars. The police, also, systematically examined the roads nearby but found no evidence of a recent motor car.”

Under the heading “THE POLICE GET A CLUE”

it was reported that “the police were searching for two ladies who had been staying in a house a few miles from Leuchars. They were apparently militants. The police visited the house but found it closed up and the occupants away on holiday.

Questions about the fire at Leuchars Junction Station were asked in the House of Commons. Major Anstruther Gray (St Andrews Burghs) asked whether there was any evidence about the fire being deliberate or as the result of an accident. The Secretary of State for Scotland replied that they had no more information than had appeared in the Press.”

We shall never know, was it an accident, was it someone wanting the Suffragettes to get the blame or was it indeed the Suffragettes?

The whole article can be read in Cupar Library, Local History Section or in the Newspaper Archive online.
 In the article the reporter refers to suffragists. The suffragist believed in peaceful action. When this wasn’t working a more militant group developed; these were suffragettes. Maybe the reporter misused the word here.