This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Catherine. A member of CND, Catherine first visited Greenham for Embrace the Base in December 1982 and continued to visit over the years, finally living permanently at Yellow Gate from June 1988 to May 1989. She participated in many NVDAs, was arrested multiple times, and served two prison sentences in Holloway. Catherine 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. Celia helped set-up and run Hayford Peace Camp a a sister camp to Greenham Common that allowed both men and women to protest together. She visited Greenham for Embrace the Base and describes how they decorated the wire fence. She describes protest activities including cruise watch at night in cars along the M4 and monitoring the transport of goods in and out of the camp. Celia is a wonderful artist and made many of the banners for Hayford and discusses the song and dance that surrounded the peace movement. With her husband, Celia hosted many members of the Hayford Peace Camp in her house and relates the sacrifices and impact of protesting on family life. In a particularly touching moment, Celia reads out a poem that her daughter had written aged 16. Much of the interview is structured around looking at photographs and material Celia had collected relating to the peace camps. Celia 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 Clare and Polly. Clare's parents were Catholic and part of the Pax Christi peace movement. Polly's parents were a part of CND and she joined them from a young age on demonstrations. Neither stayed at Greenham but both made frequent day visits with supplies and fresh vegetables. The only occasion that Clare stayed was one February night when she woke in a bender with 4 inches of snow on her feet - 'Iave never been so cold in my life'. Both discuss the role of men in helping at Greenham a visiting the women with children, bringing supplies, helping with Cruise Watch. Clare, also involved in Cruise Watch, describes driving at night to watch the missile convoys: 'They were terrifying, it was like being in a horror movie.' Polly and Clare were interviewed by Leslie Lyle in Kent 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 Clayre. Clayre spent a summer in the mid 1980s at Greenham with a group of friends. She shared baths, broke into the base, cut through wire, sang, did workshops, learned crafts, got arrested, and was part of Cruise Watch. She remembers a fantastic community. 'We have to stop reinventing causes every time. We must try to learn from each other and not think we are doing things for the first time. There is this wave that just grows and grows and keeps growing a we musn't let it die, otherwise we have to start again.' Clayre was interviewed by Leslie Lyle 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. When Dawn went to Greenham, the main era had died down but there was still a small group of very determined women at the Yellow Gate, many of whom had been there permanently for over 9 years with just an occasional visit home. She recalls sitting round the campfire telling stories, visitors from Japan, women sharing a common purpose and how nature comes back when you live under the influence of the moon. She also remembers the death of 'Gladys' the Greenham Van, and the replacement, 'Sister of Gladys'! In reflecting on her time at Greenham, Dawn talks about the strength in the solidarity of like-minded women, their resilience which was both powerful and empowering. She believes the Greenham experience is even more relevant with the nuclear threats at the time of the interview. Dawn was interviewed by Tricia Grace Norton in February 2021.
This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording. An interview with veteran campaigner Di Macdonald who was at Greenham from the early days and then went on to be a crucial link to Cruise watch in the South East and an inspiration to many of us. Her van was an iconic part of the chase around the countryside after cruise missiles on the move. At the time of the interview, Di continues to campaign against nuclear weapons. Di was interviewed by Emma Gliddon on 17th March 2021.
This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording. 3 Generations at Greenham, her mother Ursula, daughter Diana and granddaughter, Fenella. Diana has been a pacifist all her life and set up the Totnes Women for Peace. In 1982 she went to the first Greenham demonstration of women's hands around the fence. She had been on many mixed demonstrations which were often violent and thought that women could do it differently. She lived at Greenham part-time for nearly 3 years. She took part in all of the actions including: The Black Cardigan Demonstration, Easter, Dragon Day Bunny Party. She reads a very interesting letter she sent to her children about the Easter Action she attended with her 3 years old daughter in April 1983. Her mother attended all the demonstrations and was arrested (aged 63) for dancing on the base along with 80 other women and spent 3 weeks in Holloway as examples. She has a press cutting about her mother 'Gran's Strip Ordeal' as Ursula refused a strip search. Diana was arrested and insisted at being tried in her local court supported by many Greenham women. She speaks very eloquently about the creative conversations with women from around the world (including the miners' wives) sitting around the fire and trying to escape the smoke. She talked about how the women put 'energy' into the vehicles breaking down when they were being removed or making them invisible when trying to hide. 'We really believed in those spells' as they always seemed to work. Diana was interviewed by Tricia Norton in 2019.
This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Janet. Remarkably Janet hand-wrote her entire PhD thesis at Greenham during a time when there were daily evictions. She remembers it being anarchic but not chaotic, a community of women that in her words, 'Had your back'. Janet took part in many small and large actions and particularly remembers one blockade where the seated women were rushed by mounted police. Janet was interviewed by Sarah Learmouth in 2019. She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).
