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The Women's Library
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Greenham Women Everywhere Oral Testimonies

This series inludes the oral history testimonies collected as part of the Greenham Women Everywhere project between 2019 and 2021. Each folder includes the audio recording of the interview together with a transcript of it, and a photograph of the intervieew/s where available.
The project team has travelled the UK interviewing the women who formed the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. This is the largest collection of oral testimonies of the women yet collated, digitised and made available to the public.

Please note more interviews will be added in the coming months.

Ailsa Johnson interviewed by Jessica Layton

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Ailsa.
Ailsa had young children when the camp was set up in the 1980s and she got to know about Greenham thanks to her local CND group. She only stayed overnight once and mostly visited during the day and for the big demos. She talks about monthly peace camps at Aldermaston and Burghfield and how they went to court to 'get recognition that camping is a form of protest'. She also talks about other groups linked to the peace camps, such as Nuke Watch and Nuclear Information Service. She mentions the power of songs, NVDA and how reading 'Children of Hiroshima' was a very formative experience for her - at the end of the interview, she reads an extract from the book.
Ailsa was interviewed by Jessica Layton in 2019.
She was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

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).

Angela Akehurst interviewed by Josephine Liptrott

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Angela worked as a coach driver in the 1980s and, though she never lived or stayed overnight at the Greenham Common peace camp, she often drove a coach to demonstrations and actions. Together with another driver, she drove a coach of 45 Greenham Women to Russia on a three-week fact-finding mission. Onboard a coach with the route number 007, their journey was challenging and eventful, involving huge distances, KGB tails and pink Champagne consumption. Angela remembers her passengers as being a hugely diverse, energetic, creative, patient and joyful group of women.
Angela was interviewed by Josephine Liptrott in 2019.

Ann and Sally Bell interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Ann and Sally Bell.
Ann was a PhD student when she first went to Greenham and Sally an American citizen living in the UK. The women met at Greenham, living permanently at Orange Gate between 1983-85. They found in Greenham a place where women grew in confidence, could 'be themselves', many women 'becoming' feminists in a space free of male hierarchy. Both women believe Greenham had a major impact on the Cold War as its existence and actions opened up debate about nuclear weapons. They remember Greenham Women as a generation that went on to achieve remarkable things, and believe Greenham gave them, personally, the confidence to understand you do not have to follow the rules if you believe they are wrong. In addition, Greenham provided them with a strong moral foundation to pass on, and the ability to question everything.
Ann and Sally were interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019.
They were photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Ann Pettit and Karmen Thomas interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Ann.
Without Ann and Karmen, Greenham would not have existed. Believing women's voices needed to be heard in a male dominated world of politics and anti-nuclear movements, they initiated the 1981 Women for Life on Earth walk from Cardiff to Greenham Common USAF base. Their aim was to initiate a public debate with the government regarding nuclear weapons, in particular Cruise missiles, to engage the media and make Greenham a household word. Ann believes Greenham 'had big implications...it gave a lot of different possibilities to a lot of women.' 'I can't say that Greenham stopped the arms race because I think it was one of many factors which made it imperative that leaders take disarmament seriously...but it changed the atmosphere.' Visiting Russia in 1983, they met with the Moscow Group for Trust, a peace group independent of the Soviet state, as well as with the official Soviet Peace Committee. For Karmen, 'Greenham was a protest of its time...I don't think it would happen today...it would be moved.' It enabled 'thousands upon thousands of women...(to) connect with women in other countries...maybe it changed the direction of their life.'
Ann and Karmen were interviewed by Nicky Arikoglu in 2019.
Ann was photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Anna Birch and Mary Birch interviewed by Emily Strange

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording and a photograph of Anna and Mary and one of Mary.
Greenham was not the first time Mary was actively involved in social and political movement; prior to Greenham she had been supporting peace movement for years. Both Mary and her husband played an active role in Greenham in the 1980s. They had a van together that they would use to go from Bristol to Newbury, transporting goods to the women (fire wood and blankets etc.). Mary never stayed at camp overnight but had a good relationship with Orange Gate, and was part of actions such as codified phone-chains which signified when blockades would be best used to stop camp invasion. Anna attended a Quaker school and showed large interest in political movement from a young age, inspired by her mother's activism. With her mother, she attended camp as a young adult. Anna stated that with the climate change activism happening at the time of the interview, young people might think that Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA) is a new concept, but Greenham paved the way for this.
Mary and Anna were interviewed by Emily Strange in Bristol in 2019.
They were photographed by Christine Bradshaw (copyright Christine Bradshaw).

Annei Soanes and Margaret McNeil interviewed by Rebecca Mordan

This folder includes the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript of the recording.
Annei and Margaret both went to Greenham after getting involved in the local CND movement and met at camp. Annei was working at Harrods at the time and was a very unusual Peace Woman until she participated in an NVDA workshop which made her reflect on her job and the double life she was living. She resigned the next day. Both Annei and Margaret were profoundly influenced by the discussions at Greenham and left with a radical feminist perspective on the peace movement that changed the course of their lives.
Annei and Margaret were interviewed by Rebecca Mordan in 2019.

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