[3] She was an early member of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), and she edited a column covering women's suffrage issues for the socialist newspaper Forward.

[4] She was a significant financial supporter, and as one of the GWSAWS vice-presidents she took up a position on the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) committee in 1903, in order to represent the association following their affiliation.

In December of that year she attended a lecture by Helen Fraser as she expounded the militant principles of the newly formed Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).

[7] While in prison Allan used her privileged position to improve the levels of comfort for her inmates, including distributing confectionery and fruit to fellow suffragettes.

However, following Dunlop having thus successfully forced the authorities to release her on health grounds, the British government introduced a policy of forced-feeding of imprisoned suffragettes who refused food.

"[9] In February 1914, forcible feeding was implemented in Scotland during Ethel Moorhead's imprisonment for violently resisting arrest after being spotted behaving suspiciously in the vicinity of Traquair House.

Allan was a key part of the campaign against this action, and as well as publicly protesting met with the Medical Prison Commissioner, Dr James Devon, to advocate against the use of a method that she regarded as likely to "injure permanently a woman's health.

"[10] In June that year, Allan wrote to prison authorities that the burning of Whitekirk Parish Church near Edinburgh was due to the treatment of Moorhead and if other suffragettes in Perth, Arabella Scott and the woman known as 'Frances Gordon' were force fed, threatened the upcoming royal visit to Scotland could see 'disastrous' protests.

On 9 March 1914, Emmeline Pankhurst, the WSPU national leader, was to address a public meeting at St Andrew's Halls in the city, and Allan was in attendance.

[3] The event took place when Pankhurst had recently been released from prison under the terms of the new, so-called 'Cat and Mouse Act', introduced by the government to counter the suffragette hunger strikes.

However, the WSPU activists anticipated their action and increased security coverage for their leader, including enforcing strict secrecy surrounding her movements and erecting a concealed barbed wire barrier across the front of the stage.