Description
Physical description
The badge has a chain wrapped around the words 'The Nuclear'. Each link of the chain has one of the following words in it: 'War/ Waste/ Weapons/ Uran/ Power/ - - - / Coal/ Mining/ Costs/ Jobs/ - - - / Iaw/ Politics'. Round the edge of badge is written: 'Make the links, Break the chain'.
Label
This series of badges were produced to promote the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp in the 1980s. Recurring themes in the designs include the fence wire, the female gender symbol and a spider's web motif, symbolising both the surrounding of the base and the connections between peace activists.
History note
In 1981, a group of women, angered by the decision to site Cruise Missiles (guided nuclear missiles) in the UK, organised a protest march from Cardiff to Greenham Common Air Base near Newbury, Berkshire, where the missiles were to be housed. At Greenham Common, they set up what became known as the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp.
Between 1981 and 1983 the protestors attempted to disrupt construction work at the base. These included blockading the base and cutting down parts of the fence. They used various forms of non-violent protest. In December 1982 this included the 'Embrace the Base' event. This was when 30,000 women gathered at Greenham to join hands round the base .
Despite the efforts of the protestors, the first Cruise Missiles arrived at Greenham in November 1983. The protest agains the missiles, however, continued throughout the rest of the 1980's.
Between 1989 and 1991, after Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, all missiles sited at Greenham were removed. However, the last women to leave Greenham Common Peace Camp went in Spetember 2000, 19 years after they first arrived. After the nuclear missiles were removed the camp remained as a continuing protest against nuclear weapons.
For more information on the Greenham Common Peace Camp see the Imperial War Museum's online exhibition on the website.
Printed
The Nuclear
Make the Links Break the Chain
War/ Waste/ Weapons/ Uran/ Power/ - - - / Coal/ Mining/ Costs/ Jobs/ - - - / Iaw/ Politics