Submitted by: Dana Ramadan
Date: February 2021
Location: In my room in Islington, London

While everyone went out to enjoy the first snow day in London, I decided to stay in my bed and watch the snow fall outside my window. The photo captures the moment I was having breakfast and doing some readings.

Submitted by: Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey
Date: May-August 2020

During Britain's first Covid lockdown in spring/early summer 2020, the Government Department launched a project to communicate some of the research that we were conducting on responses to Covid by various countries. Even as we were all working from home, we put together this film, which explores the emergency powers that governments were using to control the spread of coronavirus, and how the relationship between the people and their governments had fundamentally changed.

"CV-19: A Film by the Department of Government" highlights research being carried out into the impact and consequences of these changing relationships. The film explores the threat to liberal democratic norms, public support for an authoritarian government response, how governments are being held accountable, what the effects are on public transport and a new digital frontier for political campaigning.

As a measure of the interest in this film, the contributors held a roundtable discussion (over Zoom) in November 2020, and this is also available online. More broadly, the film has achieved remarkable success in film festival competitions. As of July 2021, and from international film festivals in 13 countries, the film has received 16 top awards (Best Short Documentary, Best Health Film, Best Edited Film, Best Web an New Media, etc), as well as 3 finalist positions, 2 semi-finalist positions, 13 official selections and 2 honorable mentions.

Submitted by: Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey
Date: Autumn 2019-January 2021

This book began in autumn 2019, and continued throughout the Covid pandemic. It is being published by Ubiquity Press, as an open-source book, with a publication date of about 1st October 2021. It was meant to be part of the School's 125th anniversary celebration and is the first ever history of the LSE Government Department.

The contributors include students at all levels (undergraduate, masters, doctoral), working together with Gordon Bannerman (a British historian who previously studied at LSE) and Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey as Head of the Department. Moreover, we wanted to ensure that different perspectives were heard and so along with archival research, we included dozens of interviews with current and former academics, PSS staff, students and alumni. We wanted the history to have many voices, and I think that we have achieved that.

Completing this during Covid posed many challenges. First, we had only two months to conduct the in-person archival work in the library before the first lockdown hit. This posed a major challenge as it made access to the historical archives impossible. Fortunately, the research that had been done, together with on-line research, allowed us to move forward.

A second challenge was that we were all working from various parts of the worldCanada, Kenya, Lebanon, Poland, and different parts of the UK! So, just keeping the focus and momentum going as the pandemic raged throughout the world was quite the task. Somehow, each of us managed to bring our contributions to the volume at different times, as we were each facing our own Covid-related disruptions along the way.

A third challenge was obtaining the interviews as the turmoil of Covid took hold. Here, Skype, Zoom and phone calls made the interviews possible, and in some cases, were more convenient than in-person interviews. The real difficulty was that in spring of 2020, many interviewees were difficult to contact, given the on-going turmoil in everyones lives. But the fact that so many interviewees were willing to take the time for us is a real testament to the strength of feeling that many have towards the Department and the School more generally.

The book itself traces the emergence and evolution of the LSE Government Department from 1895 to 2020, focusing on the personalities that guided the development of the Department, the social and political contexts the Department existed within, its research agenda and course structure, and the location of the Department in British politics. It also charts the evolution of the discipline of political science in Britain itself. The volume is divided chronologically into four chapters, each covering roughly similar time periods in the Departments history and focuses on the events that shaped it: personalities, events, and location. Key themes are the development of political science in Britain, the impact of location on the LSE Government Department, the professionalisation of academia in Britain, and the microcosm the Department presents of British political life during each time period. The conflicts between progressive and conservative forces are a recurring theme which helps link the internal dynamics of the Department with the wider social and political contexts that occurred from the beginning of the School to its 125th anniversary.

Submitted by: Grammateia Kotsialou
Date: May 2020
Location: Gunnersbury Park, London

The lockdown period awakened a creative part of me, a passion for photography. During a lockdown 'exercise' walk with my husband, I saw this spot and tried to capture as much as possible of this beauty.

Submitted by: Rachael Maguire
Date: February 2021 and April 2021
Location: Near Lincoln's Inn Fields

I had to go into the dentist and took the photos to show colleagues how the Marshall Building was progressing.

Submitted by: Avanes Khachaturov
Date: 17 March 2021
Location: Red Lion Square, London

With physical lectures being cancelled and all classes moving online by December 2020, I found that I had much more time to explore lunch options around campus. Before, my typical day involved rushing from one lecture hall or classroom to another, with studying in the Library in between, and hence I was limited by how far from campus I could venture out.

Most of the fast causal restaurants dotting Kingsway that specialized in providing food were closed the previous year, with primarily coffee chains remaining open for take away, offering only small sandwiches and toasties as lunch options. On the other hand, Lamb's Conduit Passage and Red Lion Street, which runs parallel to Red Lion Square, offered many small and cheap eateries of various cuisines, from Korean to Malaysian to British classics, which I only found the time to try out now that all of my studies were online and not tied to campus.

The picture taken was during one such lunch time, a relatively warm day for the weather that month, with the benches lining the park offering excellent places to sit back, enjoy a warm meal, and either listen to music or a podcast, or to just take in the sounds around you.

Submitted by: Aarti Malhotra
Date: 14 June 2021

Went vinyl shopping! Trying to explore our area post-lockdown!

Submitted by: Ruiqi Li
Date: November 2020
Location: On the way to campus from Bankside House [LSE halls of residence]

I was on the way to school with a few friends from Bankside; it was one of the first in person classes we had. Having just arrived in London and as international students coming from different places, we were eager to retain everything we see in the city in our minds. Autumn is slightly chilly and the streets were rather empty because of the pandemic, but it was a unique memory that felt strangely cozy and poetic amongst the chaos happening elsewhere in the backdrop.

Submitted by: Mhairi Gowans
Date: 28 February 2021

In February [2021], once the government announced it would be starting vaccination for Group 6, charities became aware that the Government had taken many clinically vulnerable people off the vaccination list. This particularly affected asthmatics of whom millions had been off-boarded from priority.

A patient group formed on Facebook and then launched several Twitter events to raise awareness of this issue. This graphic pertained to the second event which I promoted on my Instagram account on the 28th of February. Each Twitter event resulted in the chosen hashtag trending (first hashtag was #AsthmaticsAtRisk, second hashtag was #VaccinesforAsthmatics. #flujabequalscovidjab and #asthmaticsunder50 were also later used).

Unfortunately while this received some press attention and celebrity support from Supernanny Jo Frost, as well as charity support from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation and the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists, this issue has been largely ignored by the government leaving clinically vulnerable people vulnerable as society opens up.

Submitted by: Aarti Malhotra
Date: 11 March 2021
Location: LSE Rosebery Hall, London

With the hairdressers being closed, improvisation was key!

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Zohl.
Irish-Australian Lesbian, Zohl de' Ishtar has worked with Indigenous Australian and Pacific women for 40 years. While at Greenham, she initiated Britainas aWomen for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacifica. Zohl arrived at Greenham on her 30th birthday in 1982 and describes Green Gate as, 'The best place in the world.' She talks about the camp being infiltrated by police officers and the media, links with other peace camps around the world, including Pine Gap in Australia and getting arrested at Heathrow airport for forming a blockade and singing Greenham songs. She also recalls 'the zap' and the effects it had. Zohl has written several books and is currently working on a new book with the working title 'Greenham's Pacific Journey'.
Zohl was interviewed by Vanessa Pini in September 2020.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Voz.
Being an activist means becoming troublesome, defying authority and facing both the fears and consequences of taking action. Listen to Voz Faragher relate her experiences of staring the police in the face; hear her describe how it felt to be manhandled, to face the courts and spend the night in jail. But more than that, listen to her tell just how the support and energy of women united strengthened her courage and inspired her to become a lifelong advocate for the vulnerable and oppressed.
Voz was interviewed by Elaine Ruth White in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Wendy Moorhouse Johns was based in Leamington Spa during the height of the peace movement. She organised a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) group through Spare Rib magazine and they visited Greenham Common together.
In her interview, she touches on class relations to protest and the different challenges faced by women from different socio-economic backgrounds.
Wendy has a passion and talent for music and she discusses the relationship between folk music and the peace movement, including her project undertaken as part of a degree at the Ruskin School of Art. She tells us about meeting Peggy Seeger in Oxford and singing together on stage.
Wendy talks widely about women's history, family, and experiences in relation to protest and activism.
Wendy was interviewed by Kitty Gurnos Davies in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Vicki.
Vicki first heard about Greenham when studying at Southampton University. She was fascinated by the idea that it was a women-only space and protest.
She initially went as a weekend visitor and later lived there full-time at Blue Gate, staying for about two years.
She broke into the air base three times, on one occasion getting onto the silos and on another running between the shelves of the on-site commissary. Cutting a huge hole in the fence and driving her car onto the runway resulted in a criminal damage conviction.
Vicky was a founder member of Cruisewatch, a group which aimed to monitor and disrupt military manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain. She remembers hostility from the local residents, regular evictions and too many lentils, but also describes a genuinely inclusive and nurturing women-only space where everyone was valued and heard.
Vicki was interviewed by Josephine Liptrott in London in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Tanya.
Tanya is based in Nottingham and has been a theatre maker since her early twenties. At that age she also arrived at Greenham, already a politically minded person. She came to mostly spend her time at Green Gate in the forest, and at the 'London House' in Petherton Road, a sort of halfway house run by Greenham Women, with no heating or electricity. She spent time at Greenham as a pregnant woman and with an infant, and she speaks about what this meant to her. Tanya also speaks with great passion and detail about the creativity and spiritual experience of the actions, including the raising of the dragon, and keening. She focusses on her particular story, while reflecting on the wider consciousness of the group of women, and the shedding and sharing of values.
Tanya was interviewed by Alice Robinson in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Tamsin answered a call for women to go to Greenham Peace Camp. She arrived in 1983 with her 2-year-old daughter and although she started at Blue Gate, she and others with children decided to re-establish Red Gate. Tamsin talks about how she went to Greenham to save herself, to discover her people and how amazing it felt to be able to be herself and discuss any issues without being judged. Tamsin's story is one of great personal discovery, a legacy that she has taken into the rest of her life: 'I went to Greenham and I wasn't mad anymore, I was normal'.
Tamsin was interviewed by Sarah Learmonth in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Suzanne has enjoyed a long and successful career in the NHS. She did not live full-time at the Greenham Common peace camp but was a regular visitor, occasionally staying overnight, in the early-mid 1980s. She first visited the camp for Embrace the Base and returned numerous times in the years that followed, often accompanied by one or both of her sisters. Suzanne's first daughter, Scarlett, was born in September 1984 at the South London Hospital at which Greenham women were frequent visitors to join the occupation protesting the hospital's closure. Suzanne felt that her role at Greenham Common was to provide morale and support to the women there by swelling their ranks when needed and demonstrating that their views were shared by others outside the camp. She was also part of a wider network connecting the women of Greenham to other actions and campaigns taking place around the country.
Suzanne was interviewed by Josephine Liptrott in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sue.
Sue participated in the 120 mile 1981 Women for Life on Earth walk from Cardiff to Greenham with her infant son. Returning to Wales, she remained committed to the cause, visiting Greenham whenever possible. She remembers the enormous sacrifices women made to be there and believes it was a good time to be a feminist. The fact that so many Greenham women with children were participating signalled for her that it was OK to be both a feminist and a mother. She witnessed many older women, born in the very early twentieth century, who previously had little opportunity to voice their political opinions, do so at Greenham, a critical point in their development as women.
Sue was interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sue.
On Sueas first evening at Greenham she heard a woman talking to a soldier on the other side of the fence. It was that powerful conversation that kept her at Greenham, protesting nuclear missiles but also exploring the multitudes of different ways to be a woman by meeting and talking to amany shades of womena. Sue went to prison many times, took the government to court for illegal strip-searches and won, changing the law in the process. She talks about the radical potential of laughter and creativity, the unconventional methods she and others used to draw attention to issues and the strength in unity at Yellow Gate.
Sue was interviewed by Isabelle Tracy in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sian.
Sian was living in Southampton when GCWPC began. Orange Gate, on the south side of the common, was the nearest for Southampton activists who were regulars at camp and beyond. Sian's initial involvement included night watch, hot food runs and cruise watch. She enjoyed being on the land with women and the elements and even went to sea with the women's boat action group.
She also talks about how the network of Greenham Women grew over the years and the development of other anti-war and international groups like WATFY (Women's Aid To Former Yugoslavia) and Women in Black.
In this photo, Sian is staring at the muncher during an eviction at Orange Gate.
Sian was interviewed by Jill Raymond (Ray) in February 2021.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Sheila was already an active member of a Peace Group and decided to join Greenham because of the development of weapons of mass destruction. 'There is so much in this world to love and cherish: and I wanted my name to be there to say I stood up and said NO I don't want nuclear weapons'. She used to go with her friend Janet for 2 weeks at a time and camp in the woods, sometimes taking her 2 daughters with her, and organising coach trips to Greenham. On her first visit she was shocked by the sight of the huge fences. She and Janet felt very strongly about not getting into trouble as they had to get back to look out for the future of their children. Sheila's daughter, Catherine, was influenced and inspired by her mother and Greenham to take up a career in International Relations from a Feminine Perspective. In one of the demonstrations items from home were pinned to the fence, Sheila pinned pictures of the family. It was a tremendous feeling of female solidarity.
Sheila was interviewed by Tricia Grace-Norton in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sheila and one of Sheila, Barbara and Mockie.
June Hughes met Sheila with her sister Barbara Blower and their close friend Mockie Harrison. None of them stayed for a long time but visited regularly for short visits. They helped with supplying food for the camp in a fairly well organised way with loosely arranged rotas for cooking and delivery the food.
They often took their children with them, staying mostly at Red Gate. They kindly sang some of the Greenham songs on the recording.
They were interviewed by June Hughes in Milton Keynes in 2019.
They were photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sarah.
Sarah is an environmental campaigner who has been involved in protesting the devastating damage caused to the London wetland areas by HS2. She was already involved in a women's peace group when, attending a rally at Hyde Park in 1981, she heard about Greenham Common and decided to give up her job to live there. She resided at the camp for around five years, based at the main gate which became known as Yellow Gate. She describes an incident during which local vigilantes pulled up in a van to spray the women with offal and discusses the microwave 'zapping' of the protesters during which she feared for her safety. Like other women, Sarah was arrested and imprisoned due to her involvement in non-violent direct action but she had a unique experience of being at Greenham as she gave birth to her son there!
Sarah was interviewed by Josephine Liptrott in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Sally.
'I went to sleep last night pondering whether we made a difference. As I said yesterday, it's my belief that language is critical in making attitudinal changes. The challenges to the standard discourse that the Greenham Women made were like little prods on the wheel of a giant ship. Gradually the ship turns and then it carries on turning and eventually a noticeable change of direction has taken place. We did that. I played a tiny part in that, something of which I am proud. So, thank you all for giving me the opportunity to remember.'
Sally was interviewed by Leslie Lyle in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
In this expansive and generous interview, Ruth discusses travelling to Greenham with her friend Sarah Green in 1981/2 and stayed at Yellow Gate, finding solidarity and comfort in the women's peace movement in Sheffield, the acrobatic workshops she led at camp so women could take part in creative actions, how her interests (spirituality, in particular) developed at Greenham and the deep friendships at the camp which she formed. Ruth also recounts the thinking behind forming Green Gate in the early years of Greenham.
Ruth was interviewed by Sara Sherwood in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Arriving at Greenham with her 4 year old daughter at 27 years old, Ros soon gravitated to Green Gate. Her memories are about the unity of singing and artistic expression, the quietly powerful strength of women together and the challenge of constantly questioning yourself, whether you wanted to or not. Having met so many women who had been abused in various ways by the men in their lives, Ros went on to qualify as a counsellor. For Ros, the legacy of Greenham was the strong sense of female empowerment and support.
Ros was interviewed by Sarah Learmonth in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Rosy arrived at Greenham in 1989 visiting frequently until living permanently at Yellow Gate between 1993-1997. The INF Treaty had been signed and the Cruise missiles were being removed, public and media interest in the nuclear threat had diminished. However, Rosie participated in multiple NVDA's, including those at Aldermaston and Burghfield. She believes it was the low-level, constant, daily disruption to the military that effected the removal of the cruise missiles and return of the common land to the people. Greenham, she thinks, was a model for women to speak out on major political issues. Imprisoned thirteen times, including for actions against the later war in Iraq, Rosy's unshakeable belief is that individuals, united in the face of injustice or mis-use of state authority can fight back and win.
She was interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019.

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Pixie.
Pixie spent two periods of her life at Greenham. Firstly, when she was 18, she went down on an overnight coach from Dundee and lived at Green Gate from 1985-86. She returned for the 10th birthday in 1991 and lived at Blue Gate until January 1994. She talks about the differences in the eras, evictions and bailiffs, women only spaces, learning to value her body and her time in Holloway. She recalls doing doughnuts in a borrowed car in the base during the American leaving ceremony and reads from a Greenham newsletter documenting leaving Blue Gate. Pixie speaks about how ludicrous it was to have nuclear weapons being driven around the country and how Greenham wouldn't have survived without humour and laughter. She also remembers writing to Greenham at school on Dennis the Menace paper and getting a reply!
Pixie was interviewed by Vanessa Pini in January 2021.