I was only man at the women’s camp
THE recent 40th anniversary of the Greenham common Peace camp reminds me about how I became one of the few men to be allowed in. On september 5, 1981, the welsh group women For Life On Earth arrived at Greenham common RAF airbase. they had marched from cardiff with the intention of challenging the decision to site 96 u.s. cruise nuclear missiles there. when their request for a debate was ignored, they began a camp just outside the fence surrounding the base, setting the tone for a protest that would last 19 years. the camp leaders discouraged women from bringing young children, but in May 1983, it hit the headlines when a baby was born there. as the west Berkshire inspector for the National society for the Prevention of cruelty to children (NSPCC), I was instructed to investigate the welfare of children there. the camp was strictly women only, so this proved difficult. I set about trying to gain their confidence. My first visit was rebuffed, firmly but politely, but the second time I was better received. they realised the NSPCC was interested only in child welfare and would not criticise or interfere with their political aims. the living conditions were primitive and the police conducted frequent evictions, which sometimes led to the destruction of equipment. there were also vigilante attacks because the women’s aims and presence were not popular with everyone. NSPCC visits continued for 18 months. though many children were brought to the camp by their mothers, it was unusual for them to be allowed to stay for more than one night. however, this changed with the arrival of a young German mother and her son, aged 4½. against the advice of the older women, she made it clear she wanted to be a full-time resident. the conditions at the camp were grim and the women’s situation had taken a knock after they had been barred from using the local swimming baths. the women sought my assistance. I contacted the education authority, who agreed to allow the little boy to enrol early at a local school. the head kindly offered to ensure the child had a hot meal every day and access to washing facilities. this continued for six months until the mother returned to Germany. My involvement with the camp ended in august 1985, with monitoring being taken over by a woman social worker.
DAVID CLIFFORD, Crewkerne, Somerset.