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1981 - 2000 Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Official website of Greenham Women's Peace Camp
Listen to the BBC Radio documentary - Ghosts of Greenham
In September 1981, the Women for Life on Earth march reached Greenham Common to protest about NATO's decision to site 96 cruise missiles at Greenham Common in Berkshire, England.
They had marched from Cardiff and upon arrival 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 19years. Within 6 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 publicised imaginitive gatherings.
This unique initiative threw a spotlight on ‘Cruise’ making it a national and international political issue throughout the 80s and early 90s. The presence of women living outside an operational nuclear base 24 hours a day, brought a new perspective to the peace movement - giving it leadership and a continuous focus.
At a time when the USA and the USSR were competing for nuclear superiority in Europe, the Women’s Peace Camp on Greenham Common was seen as an edifying influence. The commitment to non-violence and non-alignment gave the protest an authority that was difficult to dismiss – journalists from almost every corner of the globe found their way to the camp and reported on the happenings and events taking place there.
From 1981 - 2000, tens of thousands of women either lived at or visited Greenham Common airbase.
On April 1 1983, tens of thousands of protestors formed a 14-mile human chain from Greenham to the Aldermaston nuclear power station and the ordnance factory at Burghfield.
The last missiles left the camp in 1991 but the camp remained in place until 2000 after protestors won the removal of the nucelar weapons, the closure of the base, the return of the land to public commons and right to house a memorial on the site.
