40 years ago a group of women marched from Wales to Greenham Common in Berkshire to protest against the siting of 96 American made cruise missiles on land loaned to the Americans during WW II. Each nuclear missile would have four times the destructive power of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. A women’s peace camp was established around the perimeter of the RAF base on Greenham common and became a focus for anti nuclear protests and actions. It was also a potent symbol of what women could achieve on their own and in their own way in peaceful non violent cooperation with each other and without men taking charge. The women were outside the fence and the “boys with the toys” were inside on the base.

After I had my son in 1980 I was increasingly worried about the proliferation of world destroying nuclear weapons and I became involved with a CND (Campaign for nuclear disarmament) group in Devon. When we moved back to London I was inspired by the women at Greenham and joined the “Embrace The Base” action in December 1982. I was a month away from giving birth to our daughter and it was an uncomfortable coach journey but the atmosphere of solidarity and purpose was inspiring. Many of us took banners and photographs of our children to tie onto the wire fence. It was a demonstration like no other and as such commanded a great deal of media attention.

Later, with two young children, I became part of a “Greenham support group” very occasionally visiting the women’s camp overnight to keep watch at red gate (all the gates into and out of the base were given colour of the rainbow names) whilst the permanent campers slept. The presence of “the watch” was to alert and mobilise the women at Greenham and beyond to any potential movement of the cruise missives, day or night. This was a time before mobile phones and social media. The military had boots on the ground and the women placed their benders and tents in the mud of the common around the base

My lovely parents would look after our little ones to enable me to go on night watch. I only did this a few times but it was a special experience speaking to soldiers through the fence, questioning them about war and weapons whilst standing in the moonlight with the sound of owls penetrated the near silence of the common.

Back in London our women’s peace group was active on the street with regular protests that were designed to get coverage in the local papers and to engage with passers by

In 1991 Cruise missiles were removed from Greenham common and Newbury council petitioned to have the land returned for common use. It was opened to the public as a nature reserve in 2000.

I still love the chant “Take the toys from the boys” and I think of it daily as I watch the Taliban parading their guns through the streets of Kabul as if they were toys. in my head I spit back at them “take the toys from the boys” and I pray for the women subjected to their power games with such powerful toys. Take the toys away and they would not have the power. “Take the toys from the boys!!!!!!”