I can’t now remember if the Peace Pledge was the document on the table, or just an application to join CND.
The original Peace Pledge dates back to the 1930s, and it is still there today, with signatories acknowledging "War is a crime against humanity.
I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war”
That said the outbreak of the Second World War and the imperative to defeat Nazi Germany and later, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan placed the idea of renouncing war on the back burner.
But even a cynic will I think accept that working for peace is essential, more so as we enter again a period of uncertainty, with the Super Powers walking away from one Nuclear Arms agreement, new delivery systems for such weapons coming on stream, and growing tensions around the world.
And back in 1983 there was that same feeling that something had to be said against the installation of a new generation of nuclear missiles on the continent of Europe by the Soviet Union and the USA.
The march that started at All Saints and ended in Crown Square, was only one of countless such protests in Britain and elsewhere but it was one I documented.
The much bigger ones in London I also photographed but I have more images for the Manchester one.
In the course of sifting through the images I am surprised at just how many of my friends appeared in the pictures and how much the City has changed in the intervening thirty-eight years, including Crown Square.
Crown Square may have been a planner’s dream, but it was a dismal place where the only features were the weeds growing out of the paving stones, and the litter which fluttered around the benches on a windy day.
And looking at the pictures I had quite forgotten The Victoria, a place I only visited once, which I think was the day of this demonstration.
It was located on the ground floor of what had been the offices of Manchester Education Committee, which of course on that Saturday was closed.
Location; Manchester
Pictures; from a demonstration, October 1983, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war”
That said the outbreak of the Second World War and the imperative to defeat Nazi Germany and later, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan placed the idea of renouncing war on the back burner.
And back in 1983 there was that same feeling that something had to be said against the installation of a new generation of nuclear missiles on the continent of Europe by the Soviet Union and the USA.
The march that started at All Saints and ended in Crown Square, was only one of countless such protests in Britain and elsewhere but it was one I documented.
The much bigger ones in London I also photographed but I have more images for the Manchester one.
In the course of sifting through the images I am surprised at just how many of my friends appeared in the pictures and how much the City has changed in the intervening thirty-eight years, including Crown Square.
And looking at the pictures I had quite forgotten The Victoria, a place I only visited once, which I think was the day of this demonstration.
It was located on the ground floor of what had been the offices of Manchester Education Committee, which of course on that Saturday was closed.
Location; Manchester
Pictures; from a demonstration, October 1983, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
