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

[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.