Aldermaston Marches

The first Aldermaston March organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament took place at Easter (4-7 April), 1958, shortly after the launch of the Campaign, when several thousand people marched for four days from Trafalgar Square, London, to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment close to Aldermaston in Berkshire, England, to demonstrate their opposition to nuclear weapons.^[1][2] Hugh Brock, one of the organisers, records that he was one of thirty-five people to have marched to Aldermaston six years before in 1952 as part of Operation Gandhi.^[3] After 1958 the marches were held annually,1959-1963, but their direction was reversed, i.e. from Aldermaston to London (1960,^[4]); there were revivals of the march in later years including in 1972 and in 2004.^[5][6] The 1963 March was notable for the unofficial diversion of many marchers on Easter Eve to visit RSG (Regional Seat of Government) 6, exposed by the Spies for Peace in their pamphlet circulated as the March assembled the previous day.

Participants

The Aldermaston March Committee for the first march comprised Hugh Brock, Pat Arrowsmith and Michael Randle from the Direct Action Commitee Against Nuclear War plus Frank Allaun MP and Walter Wolfgang from the Labour H-Bomb Campaign.^{[citation needed]}

• Peggy Duff organised subsequent Aldermaston Marches 1959-1963.^{[citation needed]}
• Sidney Hinkes was involved in the first Aldermaston March,^{[citation needed]}
• Walter Wolfgang participated in the first Aldermaston March and led a revival of the march in 1972.^{[citation needed]}
• Reg Freeson was one of five Labour MPs on the first Aldermaston March.^{[citation needed]}
• Lindsay Anderson made the documentary March to Aldermaston (1958).^{[citation needed]}
• Eric Idle was a keen supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and participated in the Aldermaston March.^[7]

Songs

• Ewan MacColl's English text of Song of Hiroshima was sung on the Aldermaston Marches by the London Youth Choir.^[8]
• An unofficial peace version of the National Anthem of the United Kingdom was written in 1958 by Henry Young for the first Aldermaston March and is taken from Young's collection of poems From Talk to Action: The fight for peace.

References

1. ^ A brief history of CND
2. ^ "Early defections in march to Aldermaston". Guardian Unlimited. 1958-04-05. http://century.guardian.co.uk/1950-1959/Story/0,,105488,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
3. ^ Brock, Hugh, "Marching to Aldermaston - ten years ago!", Sanity, Good Friday, 1962
4. ^ "1960: Thousands protest against H-bomb". BBC News. 1960-04-18. http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/18/newsid_2909000/2909881.stm. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
5. ^ "1972: CND begins march to Aldermaston". BBC News. 1972-03-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2530000/2530839.stm. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
6. ^ "Marchers protest at nuclear base". BBC News. 2004-04-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3618123.stm. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
7. ^ "Eric "The Greedy One" Idle". Pythonland. http://www.pythonland.com/bioidle.php. Retrieved 2007-04-12. 
8. ^ "Ewan MacColl: 1915 – 1989, A Political Journey". Working Class Movement Library. http://sptalis.wcml.org.uk/people/em/songs.htm#cnd. Retrieved 2007-04-12.