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

[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