Newspaper article: "Women in March for Peace", Cardiff, 28 August 1981

Description

Page 3 from the Western Mail, dated Friday, 28 August 1981. The page has a number of local news articles, the biggest headline however being in regard to the Women for Life on Earth (WFLOE) Cardiff to Greenham Common march. The headline reads: "Women in March for Peace". The article explains that these women are marching to Greenham Common to protest about the 96 cruise missiles held there and quotes that over 100 people were marching. Anne Clwyd, the Welsh Euro MP, saw the marchers off and The Western Mail quotes her as saying: "If the voices of the others are still, you mothers, fathers and children must cry out for disarmament". The article also refers to Beatrice Smith from Plaid Cymru who is quoted as saying: "..women are so poorly represented in Parliament that they had to take to the streets to plead for disarmament". The article credits the march's organisation to such groups as the local Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), women's peace groups (such as the WFLOE), and the Quakers. A photo accompanies the article, titled "Marching for peace...women and children lead off the anti-nuclear march". The photograph shows a group of marchers on the Cardiff to Greenham Common march with a large banner that reads "Cardiff Peace Committee. Protest and Survive" - with the CND symbol on either side.

Women for Life on Earth was an anti-nuclear, Welsh women’s peace movement. The group was originally founded by Ann Pettitt and a group of friends in early 1981. The group was formed due to a growing concern in regard to nuclear weaponry and nuclear waste. With the threat of the Cold War, there was the lingering concern of a nuclear war that would destroy the World. They came together to peacefully protest for nuclear disarmament. Their most notable actions include a peace march, walking 120 miles from Cardiff to RAF Greenham Common in 1981, and a march from Cardiff to RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire in 1982. Both marches were in opposition to the nuclear weapons stored at the RAF bases and to raise awareness of the issue.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was founded in 1958 amid the growing concern of nuclear conflict and destruction. The CND campaigns non-violently to rid the world of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and to create genuine security for future generations.

Ref: Glamorgan Archives, D614/5/8