[2] She returned to Britain in 1911 and, drawing upon her experiences in South Africa, became active in the Colonial Intelligence League for Educated Women, headed by Princess Christian, a daughter of Queen Victoria.
The League was set up to help women who had received a good formal education to make use of their skills where they might otherwise be ignored- in British territories, and once they had returned home.
She was soon associated with the Women's Freedom League (WFL) along with other well-known suffragettes, including Charlotte Despard, Teresa Billington-Greig, Edith How-Martyn and Margaret Nevinson.
[9] As a result of her experience at the hands of the police and within the criminal justice system, and consistent with WFL policy on equal employment opportunities, Boyle started a campaign for women to become special constables.
However, in February 1915, Boyle split from the organisation over the use of the WPV to enforce a curfew on women of so-called 'loose character' near a service base in Grantham.
[4] She also performed other war relief work in the Balkans, for which she was awarded the Samaritan Order of Serbia[dubious – discuss] and the Allied Medal.
[citation needed] After the Russian Revolution, she travelled in Russia with fellow suffragette Lilian Lenton, an experience which would make her a lifelong anti-Communist.
[19] After some legal consideration, the returning officer stated that he was prepared to accept her nomination, thus establishing an important precedent for women candidates.
[20] The Law Lords were asked to consider the matter and concluded that the Great Reform Act 1832 had specifically banned women from standing as parliamentary candidates.
The act ran to only 27 operative words: "A woman shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage for being elected to or sitting or voting as a Member of the Commons House of Parliament",[21] and is the shortest UK statute.
[28] In the by-election for the Abbey Division of Westminster held on 25 August 1921, she spoke in favour of the victorious Conservative candidate, John Sanctuary Nicholson.
[29] During the Second World War, she was also active in the Never Again Association,[7] a body similar to the BEU that campaigned for the dismemberment of Germany and the expulsion from Britain of all persons born in Axis countries.
[1] For some years after her death, Bedford College offered a Nina Boyle Memorial Prize for the best essay on a subject connected with the position and work of women.
[30][31][32] It is now offered by Royal Holloway, University of London (which merged with Bedford College) to a student in either the History or Social Policy departments.