Between 00.00 and 00.30 AM on the 6 August 1985 approximately a dozen
members of Tunbridge Wells CND took part in the international shadows
Campaign. We drew outlines of our selves, and of pets on cardboard,
wall paper, and PVC sheeting. Mike experimented with chalk powdered,
size, and came up with a mixture that would stand a certain amount of
rain but could be washed off (Civil Defence enthusiasm would find this
useful for white washing windows in case of nuclear attack). Allen,
Dennis, and Andrew's group Painted six shadows on the pavement around
the multistorey car park. We then moved to Monson Road Adult Education
Centre where we completed two shadows, and were making our way back to
the car when two men came towards us, and asked us what we were doing
out came the police Id's, and that was the end of our shadow
Painting. One of them went for two duty cops, as we had admitted to do
some
shadows in another place they assumed that we had done shadows out side
the
library which we neither denied or confirmed (actually Maura, Sue,
Martin,
and Jan's group had just done them, and were busy outside the
Information centre painting as the police came past to arrest us), at
this point I must not forget to Apologise for the chalk on the off duty
cops trousers but he should not have stepped forward when he was
pushing his I.D in the face of a member of our groups face without due
regard to all our chalky equipment in our hands.
The next Group to be arrested was Maura's she says they let her
complete her shadow before they arrested her. Jan got away despite
Maura's offer to put there chalky equipment in the car that Jan was the
driver of. So as not to make a mess of the Police car there equipment
was loaded into the car and
the car was driven at high speed in reverse the 50 yards to the front
door
of the Police Station. This group had done better than the first group
in
also doing the Council Offices at Grove Hill, and Vale Road Post Office.
I got out of the Police Cells at approximately 3.00 AM Allen, and
Dennis got out before me. When I left the cell, Maura, and Sue were
still singing (they had been singing for at least two hours non-stop)
the Sergeant that interviewed me said he had not heard any singing but
when Sue (last out at 4.00 AM) asked why she had been in the cell so
long she was told that they liked listening to the singing.
On that Tuesday Evening Val, Jonathan, Lynn and baby, Nigel, and Jim
gave them selves up to the police, and here we must make another
apology to the police the baby was sick on there counter.
The following Tuesday Mike gave himself up as our organiser he had also
been busy in another part of the country. As he could not be in
Tunbridge
Wells at the time.
*******************************
Bombing of Libya from UK
- 1985
About 12 people from T/W went and demonstrated at Whitehall London on
Tuesday
15 April the evening of the bombing of Libya by F-111's from an
American
base in Britain. Much of CND's earlier ground work in exposing that
there
are 134 American bases in Britain not six that the Government would
have
us believe five years ago must have contributed towards the general
opposition
in this country to our governments agreement to allow the attack on
Libya
from Britain. Did you know that a full Cruise convoy left Greenham
Common
on the previous Fridays to return late on the Tuesdays. Usual only part
of
the Cruise convoy is sent out.
On the following Saturdays a number of us took part in the sit down
around
the American Embassy at 3PM we then walked along Oxford street to Hyde
park
on the way the walk split as the police stopped the walk to allow
traffic
to continue at this point the main part of the procession sat down for
an
hour. There were a number of speakers in Hyde park one of them said
that
Britain did not Declare War on Libya before the attack and that Lawyers
amongst
should look into the legal side of that.
******************************
Chenonbyl - April 1984?
Then there was the Chenobyl accident. At CND's Tuesdays meeting in my
flat
we were busy making posters on card to be tied to lamppost etc. around
the
town.
Horace my next door neighbour came round with one of his ideas he
suggested
that we should contact as many of the local pressure groups in order to
get
stalls and leaflets out on Saturdays 3 May. He had the Idea of setting
up
a row of stalls with flags suspended over the stalls saying Kiev
Meltdown.
Phil got 1000 leaflets printed, with the names of some of the local
groups
that we could get hold of, and could agreed at short notice to having
there
names put on the leaflet they were the following local groups Animal
Rights,
British Soviet Friendship Society, Christian C.N.D. Campaign for
Nuclear
Disarmament, Friends of the Earth, Green Party, Greenpeace, United
Nations
Association. Unfortunately Greenpeace, and Animal Rights were contacted
to
late, and did not have the opportunity to have there names printed on
the
leaflet, but they all either had stall's or some of there leaflet's on
shared
stall's in the Pedestrian Precinct in the town.
We started setting up the stalls at about 10.00. We got through the
main
part of 1000 leaflets by 11am and Phil got another 1000 printed. We
stayed
until 2.30 or 3.00, although Animal Rights stayed in the Precinct, and
CND
maintained it's stall in Monson Road, longer. The police paid no
attention
to us. CND has found in the past that the police only ask us to move if
they
receive complaints. All the groups collected donations which covered
the
cost of the leaflets, and some of the groups got membership inquires.
On Wednesdays the message came through CND's telephone tree that there
would
be a march on Thursday 1st, from Millbank at noon to the Mall in London
where
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. is based where a letter would be taken to
the
Russian Embassy Unfortunately I could not make that one so I cannot
tell
you how it went. This was not covered by the media either, but letters
criticising
CND for not demonstrating at the Russian accident were.
CND opposed to Nuclear Power because of the Military link. The British
Government
now says that no civil Nuclear material has been transferred to the
military
during the term of this Government. We had previously been told that
the
connection had been broken in about 1971. Britain has Supplied The
U.S.A
with civil Plutonium, and the U.S. don't draw any distinction between
Civil,
and Military Nuclear material. So who cares about The Non Proliferation
Treaty
any way ?
Incidentally Horace quite often has Ideas He has bought a quantity of
Russian
stamps that have pictures of Sammanther Smith the girl who three years
ago
wrote to Reagan and Chenenko asking what they were doing about peace,
as
you may remember Mr Reagan ignored the letter, and Mr Chenenko invited
Sammanther
to Moscow where she was made welcome by the city. Unfortunately she
died
In a plain crash last year. Horace suggests that four stamps be sold
for
£1 half of which would be given to CND.
There is a general feeling among some of the various groups locally
that
we should combine are resources, and produce one Magazine between us
which
should allow us to have a Magazine printed professionally at a more
reasonable
cost than would be practical for each individual group FOE are very
interested.
A similar Idea has come from Brian Leslie of Tunbridge Wells Green
Party
he is asking for people who are interested in setting up a
bimonthly/monthly/weekly
alternative News Paper possibly called "Alternative" the Paper would
accept
material from ourselves, the groups listed above, Green Party, Labour
Party,
Liberal Party, and SDP, he says that it's purpose is not to replace
individual
groups News Letter's. (that is not to say that FOE, CND, etc. should
not
combine our News Letter's though).
______________________________________
After
the INF. - 1989?
A Report of the Talk given to Canterbury CND by Dan Plesch of CND, and
British
American Security Information Council. By Andrew Lohmann
On The 21st January Dennis Turpin, my father, and myself went to
Canterbury.
I thought Canterbury was rather a long way to travel on a Thursday
Evening,
but we went anyway. Dan has been a CND vice chair, and is doing
research
for CND. Dan opened by saying that the INF agreement to get rid of a
class
of missiles is the 1st agreement to disarm in any way since 1814 when
the
Americans and Canadians agreed not to have warships on Lake Ontario.
The important thing about the INF agreement is that the obstacle of
Verification
has been overcome.
The INF was largely a response to The World wide Peace movement, and
pressure
from other NATO countries for instants.
The Spanish have Base's, but no Nuclear Weapons.
Even Turkey won't have NATO's Nuclear modernisation (at this point some
surprise
was expressed by the meeting considering how Turkey treats it political
opponents
{it does not allow them}).
Greece has also resisted NATO to some extent.
Dan said that it is important for us to go to Brussels on 15 February
when
Mrs Thatcher goes to a NATO meeting about the modernisation the Belgium
Peace
Movement will be active that week, Dan pointed out that during this
type
of event Peace organisations can put over there points to the media
between
press conferences. (by the time you see this the date will have passed)
The new Nuclear Weapons for Europe will be announced soon possibly
April
which Dan spoke about and are covered in the report NATO's New Nuclear
Weapons
printed by British American Security Information Council @ £2-00
(there
should be some copies at Grassroots). The report is a technical report
with
cross references.
Dan reminded us that in the US. MX and Star Wars have had there funding
restricted
by the effort of the peace movement.
The Modernisation involves a shift towards long range Nuclear weapons.
Artillery
to Air Launched Cruise which will extend the range of the Plane's that
they
are fitted to by 400 miles so the result is that they have the same
range
as the Ground launched Cruise Missile they replace. The dismantling of
Cruise
which has been agreed at the INF defines how small the pieces it will
be
broken up into but parts like the Guidance system and the warhead won't
be
destroyed.
1300 Air Launched Cruise Missiles will be coming to Europe to replace
572
Ground launched cruise. There will also be 600 Launchers for either
Conventional
or Nuclear Weapon's, Rockets, and Stealth Missile's mainly pushed into
Europe
by Mrs Thatcher at a NATO meeting in Canada 4 years ago. This is
despite
the 1987 Tory manifesto stating that there was no NATO commitment to
modernisation.
Dan was not pessimistic, and he spoke of some more optimistic points.
The Wall Street Crash was probably the greatest help the peace movement
in
the US has had. US Senators don't like to see excess expenditure at
this
sort of time.
Dan Talked a lot about how we should be campaigning at the moment. On
Trident
putting over Rent-a-Rocket, which the rental fee is British
sovereignty,
it is not Independent, 1st strike, and our agreement has to be
renegotiated
every 4 year's with each income American President.
The Americans can only spare British Trident 16 warheads rather than
its
full complement of 24 Nuclear War heads. (I did not note these figures
down,
and I am not sure if they are correct)
We should be saying that the European Nuclear Artillery shells are
Neutron
Capable. The US has developed an easily fit able modification to 8"
Nuclear
Artillery shells that make them Neutron bomb capable although Dan has
as
not as yet got evidence that the modification has been made to German
shells.
CND Need to address the arguments that the Tories put up.
We have to have it because it has been invented. This can be answered
by.
A potential enemy would have to be mad to use it, and if he is you
can't
deter the irrational anyway. For instants Libya could use it not caring
if
they were destroyed by it because they will all go to heaven anyway.
On this point the nuclear industry is very Verifiable and no country
could
get nuclear material with out the nuclear powers knowing, the problem
at
the moment is that the Nuclear powers are so concerned with each other
that
they are not looking at what is going on around there feet.
Do you remember that the Tories used to say they the Multilateralists
are
the real disarmer's, well who are the real disarmer's now. We have let
this
argument go. Mrs Thatcher can't imagine Britain with out The Nuclear
Deterrent.
Dan likened the disarmament negotiation to the Time Bomb in the
Basement.
We should be negotiating on how to get rid of it. We can't expect to
rely
on having the bomb to keep us safe for the coming thousands of years.
Dan described getting rid of Ground launched Cruise and getting the
modernisation
as two off the shelf three on the shelf and announcing they have taken
one
off the shelf.
Dennis asked a question to bring in the Chinese angle (you may remember
that
Dennis went to china during September last year with Oxford Research).
The
Chinese may come in at a 50% reduction with there own reductions in
Nuclear
Weapons.
My conclusion is that it was well worth going to Canterbury to hear Dan
Plesch
even if it was 100 miles and I was late for work the next day. We hoped
to
have Dan to Tunbridge Wells
Since that meeting Dans report hit the news on 26 January with
questions
in parliament, and Dan was interviewed on Radio 4's 'PM' programme. I
believe
that Michael Hesiltine Minister for Defence 4 year's ago conceded that
there
was a NATO meeting in Canada about modernisation in Europe. Although
George
Younger said there had been no prior agreement to have this
modernisation.
_____________________________________________
National Demo at Faslane -
October
1986
We took part in the National Demo at Faslane, Scotland on 4
October
1986 that action was a mass trespass on MOD land around the Polaris
base
where work is being done on Trident. It was good to see Mike again he
has
been living at Faslane but where he is now I don't now the locals
seemed
very pleased to see us, Camarthen Council is very sympathetic to CND.
Even
the modplods where very vocally sympathetic although they would not go
as
far as holding our Banner for a Photo in fear of being recognised. The
MOD
police had come from all over the country including Molesworth (where
we
sat down in the snow at the beginning of the year) I was actuary told
by
one of the modplods that he did want to see the base there either. We
were
told by some other's that our banner was the best they had seen all day
they
also described the banner that they would have.
___________________________________________
Star wars - 1986
One T.V. advert for SDI shown late on a news programme of a child in
the
garden with a rainbow like shield.
November 1985 OXFAM's "Hunger
for change" which was a very well publicised
national sponsored Fast in aid of the starving in Africa, they fasted
for
up to about 36 hours although some people in other parts of the Country
fasted
for a week.
In December a dozen or so women
from T/W took part in "Widen the Web" at
Greenham. Maura, Paula, and Sue (lives over the Chemist in Grosvenor
Road)
Where arrested behind the wire, so on 6 January 8 of us plus the three
women
drove over to Newbury Magistrates Court. They were fined £15
+£10
costs, £30+£10, and £15 no costs respectively, but
where
allowed to speak Maura was marvellous (I guess you appreciate how
unsettling
being in court is) after cross examination which proceed without drama
Maura
walked from the dock to the witness stand, and on the way said quite
casually
in her usual way "this is quite nerve racking you known" which provoked
a
sympathetic we understand from the Magistrates, and then she spoke, and
quoted
from Earl Mountbatten, and an INLAW book. I think she got over the
trying
to prevent a greater injustice bit well.
Although most of the women said they would not pay the fine the
Magistrates
said that the fine would be passed to there local court to collect this
could
mean that the court orders bailiffs to collect it. This is a new ploy
that
has occurred once already else where. One of the women Spartacus (that
was
the book she was reading) who lives permanently at Greenham was sent
down
for a week, and fined £50 she had decide that she was cold her
clothes
were wet through, and she wanted a fortnight inside but could quite
happily
stay in till Easter. She said she would ignore the procedure just sit
down
in the dock and read her book, and tell the magistrates to F**K off if
they
did not send her down, which is what she duly did.
Three Santa's
dance on a sub at Faslane
Mean while unknown to us at the time Mike spent Christmas at the
Faslane
Peace Camp he spent Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day inside the
Submarine
base. Mike a sick women, and a spastic man (he had a disabled arm) went
over
the first perimeter fence a child could get over that one, then they
walked
to the next fence finding a ladder on the way. so over that fence, and
they
tried to get into a hut the doors were locked so they tried to get in
down
the chimney and fell off the roof into some bushes (all three were in
red
Santa suits with white beards), Mike believes that they were heard and
seen
a number of times but not believed. They then hide in a new large
diameter
Sewage pipe they tried to keep quite but said things, and started
laughing
then tried to silence them selves with "shoosh" until 23.59 when they
came
out of there pipe, and walked towards the high security Red Zone Fence
where
they found a oil drum against the fence. Over that fence and they ran
past
the guard box onto the Obin an old diesel submarine they left an old
sock
with some fruit on the conning tower (I had given Mike an old pare to
leave
inside the base a week before) next the three went onto the HMS
Conqueror
(the one that sank the Belgrano at the beginning of the Falklands
conflict),
and danced for a while. they then started on there way to the Polaris
dock
(there where two sub's supposed to be in then), and on there way they
were
stopped by two highly intoxicated guard's the three took there bear
cans
from the guard's. The guards told them that if they had got much
further
the guards over there would have shot them they don't care you know.
They
were put in the guard box where they waved at people going out of the
base
in coaches, and there waves where returned. it took about 2 hours
before
the local cop's came and arrested them. He told the Courier "we use
whit
against weapons".
Getting very cold - 1986
On 6 February a Dozen of us took part in the very big, and successful
sit
down blockade of Molesworth. I don't known the CND estimate for the day
but
guess it could be of the order of 8000 people young, and old all
prepared
to be arrested. My neighbour Horace went with us as well, unfortunately
we
left the Crowborough group stranded with a poorly maintained hire mini
bus
at Molesworth. I don't think anyone could face them now. See my report
for
"Cuttings and Snippings" our new local CND magazine following.
TW-CND Part in the CND Blockade of Molesworth on 6 Fe., By Andrew
Lohmann.
Before going on the Blockade all those intending to take part went to
the
NVDA workshop the week before. It is important to prepare for what is
likely
to happen, and decide what we all intend doing. We also talked about
our
reasons for taking part my personal reason is because Cruise is
designed
for First Use Only, and cannot be described as "also defensive" I can't
see
that anyone could approve of it.
We left Tunbridge Wells at approximately 1.45 AM Thursday morning in a
convoy
of two minibuses, and a car. One of the Minibuses was from Crowborough,
we
took 12 from T/W, and 3 from Tonbridge. The last main town before
Molesworth
was Huntington we went around it about three times because the road
signs
were covered in snow, we stopped the other side of Huntington at about
4
AM, plenty of time we thought. When we got close to Molesworth the
police
were very helpful appearing to send us around the houses in fact it was
a
fairly direct rout, We eventually parked in a road along with all the
other
Blockaders, and were registered by CND who wanted to know about spare
seats.
We were told to walk one and a half miles (there are 2 miles to every
CND
mile) to Cockbrock Gate which took nearly one and a half hours so we
eventually
arrived at about 6.45, and sat down with Blockaders that had already
arrived
the blockade was already about 100 meters from the gate, we had hoped
to
get there before six. Because of the large number's it seemed pointless
for
our drivers to stand back so we all sat down together. The CND estimate
was
5000 people at 9 AM after that time people were coming to replace those
that
had arrived early so the numbers did not increase much after that time.
Most of us managed to stay some moving of to get warm, and coming back
later
until midday when the remaining walked along the Bridle Way to Peace
Gate.
The partially built Chapel behind the Hesiltine wire that divides the
peace
camp is quite striking. Mike (CND Santa on the sub's) has been living
at
the camp for about two weeks he intends staying there or at Faslane
permanently.
A small group decided to stay until the end letting the minibus return
at
about 2.30 PM, in the event those that were left tried to repair the
Crowborough
minibus, we gave up at about 2.40 PM, and went home not taking part in
the
final 3 PM ending either.
All in all the day was extremely successful. I heard of only one lorry
turning
up to go into the base, and it made no attempt at getting in. CND
maintained
the sit down and Blockaded for 9 Hours as planed, and whatever the
total
numbers that day the message was clear that thousand's of ordinary
people
were prepared to be arrested to prevent a greater crime.
Ash Wednesday
On Monday 10 Fe. Val had another of her last minute ideas. She went
with
Lynn the following day into the Army Recruiting Office to obtain some
new
or old recruiting posters to burn the following day Ash Wednesday,
needless
to say they did not think that was appropriate but Val was able to put
over
the bit about planning to kill women children etc., and the officer
asked
for her leaflets (to burn no doubt). On Wednesdays a small group of us
burnt
a cardboard fighter plain from a cereal packet, and a Newspaper
recruiting
advert on the steps of the Recruiting Office.
Snow Ball
Although no one from T/W took part the last snowball (increasing
numbers
of people cutting wire) at the beginning of January was very successful
Bruce
Kent was arrested going prepared to do criminal damage this was filmed
along
with people cutting the wire and shown on T.V. It came over as an
acceptable
thing to do.
________________________________________________