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The Women's Library
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Evelyn Parker interviewed by Leslie Lyle

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Evelyn's involvement in Greenham started in 1979 when Newbury was informed that missiles would be sited there, and she took an interest through the local Labour Party. She is a Quaker, and speaks of how she distanced herself from confrontation, although she was very involved on moral and ethical grounds. In 1982 Evelyn took part in the Embrace the Base action and goes on to describe RAGE (Ratepayers Against Greenham Encampment) which took unpleasant action against the women such as tearing down the camps and using maggots and blood, resulting in many locals opposing their treatment. She shares her memories of Aldermaston, zapping, changes in the law, and the influence her environmental campaigning has had on her children. Her memories of Cruise Watch include how one woman put a potato down the vertical exhaust of one of the military vehicles, managing to stop the whole convoy!
Evelyn was interviewed by Leslie Lyle in September 2020.

Helen MacRae interviewed by Elaine Ruth White

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Helen.
The cleverness and cunning of tactics used in the non-violent protest employed by the women of the Greenham peace camp and the phenomenal energy unleashed are two of the main themes of Helen's story. However, Helen also talks eloquently about how the camp, inclusive at first, became increasingly divided, with an emphasis on extreme aspects of feminist ideology, how sleeping with men was perceived to be sleeping with the enemy. Helen describes how she responded to this as a single mother of a young son who attended a creche run by men as the women demonstrated.
Helen was interviewed by Elaine Ruth White in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Hilary Whyard interviewed by June Hughes

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Hilary.
Hilary Whyard visited Greenham regularly in the early days with her 5 month old son. Changing circumstances forced her to visit less after that time, but she was still active and helped with the delivery of food to the base, also supporting the Embrace the Base ceremony every year. In her interview, she discusses the creche run by men at the start of the camp. She continues to be active concerning peace and environment issues.
Hilary was interviewed by June Hughes near Cambridge in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Jane Hickman interviewed by Vanessa Pini

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Jane.
Jane is a lawyer who represented many Greenham Women and was already an active feminist herself. She first got involved in defending the women in 1982 when they broke into the base and took over a sentry box. She recalls the core of their defense being, 'It's not us on trial, it's them,' and the magistrates being stunned when they refused to be bound over to keep the peace. She remembers journalists bringing champagne to greet Greenham Women coming out of prison, daffodils in the court room, cases brought against travelers and using powerful evidence from a nun on Hanford and Dr Alice Stewart on Hiroshima to illustrate the seriousness of their plight. Jane also tells the tale of Greenham Women taking the US Government to court to try and prevent them siting the missiles at Greenham and coming up against the attorney Rudy Giuliani! You can read a first hand account of the free support Jane gave Greenham Women in chapter 18 of the book 'Other Girls Like Me' by Stephanie Davies.
Jane was interviewed by Vanessa Pini in April 2021.
She was photographed by Tony Prime for the Observer in March 1983.

Janice Candler interviewed by Josephine Liptrott

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Janice was just seventeen years old when she first decided to live at the Greenham Common peace camp, abandoning her A level college courses to do so. She lived at the camp between 1986 and 1987, first at Violet Gate and then moving to Orange Gate. She was arrested and charged four times for her role in the non-violent direct actions and spent time in Holloway. She remembers frequent evictions, vigilantes, and living at the camp through freezing weather conditions, but still describes being extremely happy there.
Janice was interviewed by Josephine Liptrott in Essex in 2019.

Jill Raymond (Ray) interviewed by Sarah Learmonth

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Jill.
'Ray', as she was known, spent most of her time at Greenham living at Blue Gate. Here, she talks about a range of topics including the importance of reclaiming the Common land, links with peace camps nationally and internationally, the distribution of 'camp dole' and the symbolism and strength of web weaving as a form of creative resistance.
Ray was interviewed by Sarah Learmonth in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Joanna Mattingly interviewed by Jessica Layton

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Joanna didn't go to Greenham herself, but her Mother stayed for a long weekend. Joanna has photographs of her Mum and her friends at Greenham. She remembers Greenham being portrayed very negatively in the papers as lots of 'hairy, angry lesbians'.
Joanna was interviewed by Jessica Layton in 2019.

Liz Beech interviewed by Leslie Lyle

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Liz.
'I went to Greenham because I was given an electric kettle for my 40th birthday by my mother!' Liz took a bus to 'Embrace the base' in 1982 with a Glastonbury women's group and consequently lived at Yellow Gate from 1983 to 1987. She thought this was with her husband's support, saying the men's role was to keep 'the home fires burning'. However, she lost custody of her two children, with Greenham being cited as the reason, almost definitely as part of a political strategy to scare other mothers at the camp. Liz says that she was much less afraid of life than before she went.
Liz was interviewed by Leslie Lyle in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Louella Crisfield interviewed by Emma Gliddon

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Lou has been a lifelong activist inspired by her time at Greenham in her teens. She is now a housing adviser in London and feels the experience at camp gave her the courage to be or do anything! She was there in her late teens and shares her experience of camp life, arrest and prison.
Louella was interviewed by Emma Gliddon in 2019.

Lynette Edwell interviewed by Kate Kerrow

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Lynette was a crucial figure at Greenham and ran the Greenham office from her house (where this interview was conducted). As the key administrator for the campaign, she was the person who triggered the telephone tree, and watched for cruise missiles. She gave space to the Greenham women in her home, letting them use it for phone calls and administration, as well as showers, childcare and long discussions on politics and feminism. As a journalist, she wrote press releases trying to get proper media representation and helped the women with paperwork related to court appeals. As a key player in the whole campaign, Lynette was arrested many times, herself experiencing physical assault. This is the fascinating story of one of the key brains behind the campaign. She was a key presence at Orange Gate from the beginning until Cruise left.
Lynette was interviewed by Kate Kerrow in 2019.

Maggie Parks interviewed by Elaine Ruth White

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Maggie.
In telling her story of living at the Greenham camp, Maggie Parks illustrates the power of the experience to inspire and uplift. Finding Greenham at the time of her beloved father's death at 58 years old, Maggie allowed the energy and love at the camp to swell into the void and become a vital part of something as powerful as her grief. Very much a personal life story, Maggie describes how the experience and energy has stayed with her in a lifelong career supporting and protecting women against violence.
Maggie was interviewed by Elaine Ruth White in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Penny Gulliver interviewed by Isabelle Tracy

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Penny.
Penny was 21 when she went to Greenham. She stayed for a year. She lived at Blue Gate and was at the camp during the evictions. She recalls the enjoyment of political discussions with women, recounts actions such as painting out the lights on the runway to try and stop the Cruise missiles landing. Penny talks about the legacy of Greenham, the impact of the protest, going to prison and the echoes of Greenham across her life.
Penny was interviewed by Isabelle Tracy in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Ruth Nichol interviewed by Sara Sherwood

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.

Tamsin Clayton interviewed by Sarah Learmonth

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.

Wendy Moorhouse Johns interviewed by Kitty Gurnos Davies

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.

Interview with Vivienne Hayes MBE

This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Vivienne Hayes MBE, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Vivienne was the Chief Executive Officer of Women's Resource Centre, a national support organisation for the women's sector in the UK. Date of interview: 20/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:51:04.

Interview with Joyce Kallevik

This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Joyce Kallevik, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Joyce was the National Director of WISH, a user-led national charity for women's mental health working in prisons, hospitals and the community. Date of interview: 16/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:59:57.

Interview with Pragna Patel

This file includes the recorded audio of the interview with Pragna Patel, along with a transcript, a summary of the recording, and a photo of the interviewee. At the time of the interview, Pragna was a founding member and Director of Southall Black Sisters, set up to meet the needs of Asian and African-Caribbean women. Date of interview: 17/12/2019. Length of recording: 00:59:08.

Alison Napier interviewed by Rebecca Mordan

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Alison.
Alison was a sociology student in Aberdeen when she was asked by some friends if she would drive a minibus for them down to Greenham. She visited many times afterwards and was arrested twice. The first time she was held illegally in the cells under Newbury police station for 5 days and the second time, she was convicted of obstruction. She appealed on the basis that the police, military and lorries containing nuclear weapons obstructed the road far more than she had by sitting down. She won. She remembers vividly the violence of the police, the importance of NVDA and most importantly, the fun.
Alison was interviewed in 2019 by Rebecca Mordan.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Barbara Hughes interviewed by Alice Robinson

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Barbara Hughes spent most of her time at Orange Gate, which she describes as the international gate where you could meet 'women from all over the place' which she liked. It wasn't possible for her to live there as she had three young children, so she went down as often as possible for actions. She was first introduced to Greenham at a CND rally, when a group of women got up on the platform to speak about their plans for that original march from Cardiff to Greenham in 1981. Barbara speaks about her own creative actions back in Richmond with the 'Duck and Cover' company, the importance of carrying Greenham home, and her hopes for the future of feminism.
Barbara was interviewed by Alice Robinson in January 2021.

Becky Barnes and Helen Garland interviewed by Tricia Grace-Norton

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Becky and her friend Helen were reunited through the Greenham Women Everywhere Project. They met at Green Gate in 1983. They talked about it being bleak, grim and hardcore but felt that the trees in the wood softened the harshness of the environment. They would often find rabbit intestines in their beds. Becky lived at Green Gate for 8 months and her key responsibility was night watch and keeping the fires burning. The pair speak of the constant and brutal evictions, how they were deprived of sleep and stripped of their warm sweaters, but they were inspired by the solidarity of women.
They were interviewed by Tricia Grace-Norton in 2019.

Becky Griffiths interviewed by Josephine Liptrott

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Becky.
Having been involved in her local CND group, Becky first went to Greenham Common for the Embrace the Base action when she was seventeen years old. She describes arriving by coach at the main gate and being overwhelmed by the sight of hundreds of women gathered together, knowing it was where she had to be. She moved to Greenham soon after and lived there full-time for over two years at Yellow Gate. She also lived briefly at the The Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice in Senaca, New York, having visited as part of a Greenham women's solidarity trip. She took part in various actions, breaking into the base to dance on missile silos or have a teddy bears' tea party on the day of her 18th birthday. Becky was arrested several times for her part in such actions and served time in prison. She describes feeling very lucky to have been at Greenham, surrounded by strong, political women.
Becky was interviewed by Jo Liptrott in London in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

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