Call Number:

CDG-B.Great Britain.Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp

Repository:

Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Extent:

0.42 linear ft. (5 linear inches.)

Preferred Citation:

Cite as: Swarthmore College Peace Collection, CDG-B. Great Britain. Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp..

Date:

1981-1991 (bulk)

Abstract:

Includes short histories from 1981 of women's peace protests in Great Britain; poetry, letters; press releases; information about nuclear free zones in Britain; announcements of protest actions; newsletters from USA; articles published; postcard photo; news clippings high school students' note cards; video documentary.

On the 5th of September 1981, the Welsh group "Women for Life on Earth" arrived on Greenham Common, Berkshire, England. They marched from Cardiff with the intention of challenging, by debate, the decision to site 96 Cruise nuclear missiles there. On arrival they delivered a letter to the Base Commander which among other things stated "We fear for the future of all our children and for the future of the living world which is the basis of all life". When their request for a debate was ignored they set up a Peace Camp just outside the fence surrounding RAF Greenham Common Airbase. They took the authorities by surprise and set the tone for a most audacious and lengthy protest that lasted 19 years. Within six months the camp became known as the Women's Peace Camp and gained recognition both nationally and internationally by drawing attention to the base with well-publicized imaginative gatherings. This unique initiative threw a spotlight on "Cruise" making it a national and international political issue throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. (From the website http://www.greenhamwpc.org.uk/).