In the photo right she is shown being led away by police after attacking the Velazquez when she famously said: "You can get another picture, but you cannot get another life, and they are killing Mrs Pankhurst."
The silver medal, hallmarked for Birmingham 1912, is believed to carry the greatest number of award bars given by the WSPU during the hunger strikes - an indication that no one was force-fed more often than 'Slasher' Richardson.
On the market for the first time, the medal was sold by London's Dix Noonan Webb on December 16 for £19,000 (plus 15 per cent buyer's premium). It was bought by a collector who has expressed a desire to loan it to a museum.
