From The Archives- Protest At RAF Molesworth 1985

[poliphilo]

In 1981 the government decided to deploy Cruise missiles at the Molesworth RAF base in Cambridgeshire- making it a focus for protest by peace campaigners. I was there on a demo in 1985 (I think)- and took these pictures.

Comments

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

I'm in the top photograph

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

How extraordinary!

Would you care to point yourself out?

What a small world!

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Errrrmmm - when i said "in it", I was stretching a point - I meant "present in it". I'm standing beside the Bishop, so not actually visible. I've looked up my list. but you aren't on it - unless you've changed yuor name since then - but far more people turned up than we were expecting - it was very pleasing,

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I came down in a coach with a group from Manchester. I had my wife and two small sons with me. No I haven't changed my name... :)

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Amazing pictures!

That warning notice might also have added the possibility that Unauthorized Persons would give themselves a nasty cut. It seems from the last photo that the base has already been bombed, without anyone noticing.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

It's the all faiths chapel that was built by the peace camp - it wasn't finished when they put the fence up

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks. Chapel Perilous, indeed. Clearly the fate of Western democracy hangs by a thread if even that requires an armed guard.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

We had asked for access to the chapel, and they thought that we might try to reach it - over the years, quite a few people tried to reach it by various ways - one person climbed a tree that overhung the fence, and there were mass cuttings of the fence, but I don't thin kt hat anyone reached it
There were also Snowball actions, but those didn't involve the chapel - in those, the fence was cut on the other side of the bridle path, into the base itself

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

As ooxc says that's the peace chapel. I remember how furious I was when the authorities took it down.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

I think that I've now worked out that photo that puzzled me - wasn't that the first year - and hadn't they blocked off the bridle path too? I remember now that there was a huge fuss when they blocked it, and had to unblock it again

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't have any record of the event- apart from the photos- so I forget which year it was. I've guessed 85, but it might well have been earlier.

[unbleachedbrun.livejournal.com]

Why did someone bring a thurible? Were you all going to bless the missiles?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's a good question. I don't know what the thurible was going to be used for- but it certainly added to the sense of theatre.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

I think that it was intended to add to the sense of prayer, rather than theatre - but I can't remember who suggested the Rogation day procession aspect

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten that it was a Rogation Day procession. It's all coming back now...

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

It was the first time that I'd heard "God is the only landlord" sung out of doors - gave it so much more meaning - especially as part of the land at Peace Corner belonged to the Diocese pf peterborough - grrrrr!

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Things are coming back to me too - people have rain hoods up and the ground is wet - and we drove home through rain too. For the second year, we got a heatwave, despite a forecast of fog, and we were all dragging coats and macs round the base. The fog had well cleared by the time we started!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The day started off beautifully- and then there was a downpour. The earliest pictures in the sequence show blue skies, the later ones show umbrellas and puddles and raincoats.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

That's right, according to my memory too - whereas, the following year, we got the reverse - damp clinging fog followed by heat - we discovered afterwards that it went above 20 that day

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

In a tight spot, I suppose it could do duty as a mace?

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

The idea was that we were combining a Rogation procession with May ceremonies - not sure whose idea the thurible was - probably the thurifer''s - but it was carried all three years, and used at each prayer station. That first year, i thihnk that we were hoping, right to the end of the day, that we might be allowed into the chapel