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By Anne Lee, April 2001 |
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In 1993, on the initiative of Helen John (one of the women who founded the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp in 1981) women established once-a-amonth, weekend, women-only peace camps outside Menwith Hill, on the NW corner of the base, near the Main Gate, at 'Windy Corner'. The principles on which Womenwith Hill Women's Peace Camp are based are those of femininsm & non-violent direct action, as at Greenham Common. On the night of January 30th 1994 we saw a spectacular silvermoonbow. When a second campsite, on the SE corner, was occupied the following morning, it was inevitably called 'Moonbow Corner'. That day 30+ women participated in a blockade of the A59, the main access road to the base. Traffic to/from the base was halted for over an hour & there were 9 arrests. We recognised that Moonbow Corner was a much better site for the Woemnwith Hill Peace Camp; it is alongside the A59 main road & visible to the public, whereas Main Gate is out of sight on a minor road. In May 1994 the women organised a ten-day "Amazon Festival" at Moonbow Corner, attended by over 100 women. The rain poured, but spirits were high & much fun was had in the base. The MoD Police, who guard Menwith Hill, were unable to cope with the constant incursions & witchily imaginative actions. On the last day the sun emerged; MoD plods relaxed - too soon! 6 of us didn't leave! Womenwith Hill had become a full-time peace camp. Frequent arrests for criminal damage, such as fence-cutting & slogan-painting, inside the base, blockades & a visible protest outside, plus lots of local, national & international media attention, meant that an eviction was inevitable. The last straw for the authorities came when we acquired a large, static mobile home, wood-burning stoves & laid gravel paths & flowerbeds. It was evident we're staying, & could survive a severe, northern-hill winter. |
 Moonbow Camp evicted 18 April 1995 |
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The North Yorkshire County Council Highways' Authority obtained a County Court Possession Order for Moonbow Corner, & camp was evicted on April 18th 1995, 11 months after its inception. 7 women, whowere chained to the vans, were arrested (but all charges against them were later dropped). Mounds of earth & rocks were dumped on Moonbow Corner to prevent re-occupation, but already the peacewomen had anticipated the eviction & moved onto the lay-by ¼ mile to the E. This proved to be an even better site for visitors to call & park. |
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The camp grew to 10 caravans, plus paraphernalia. It became well established & received a lot of support locally and internationally. Menwith Hill Station authorities were anxious to get rid of the Women's Peace Camp; it was hugely embarassing to them to have such a focus for opposition outside the base, as well as direct actions perpetrated by the women & high-profile court cases. There were dozens of arrests for blockading & 33 camp women awaited trial for trespassing contrary to the base byelaws. 18 peace camp women have served prison sentences for actions at the base & there are many more who have discovered that acoustics in police cells are great for singing! On November 26th 1997 the Legal Department of the North Yorkshire County Council started proceedings to recover the land & obtain injunctions to prevent the establishment of any other by the women peace protesters, on the grounds that the Women's Peace Camp at Menwith Hill constituted a danger to the public by being a distraction to motorists using the A59 highway (not as much as the golf balls!) & the camp was an unlawful incursion onto land belonging to the Highways' Authority. On June 22nd 1998, Mr Justice Hooper found the camp to be unlawful & injuncted 3 women, Anne Lee, Helen John and Jenny Gaiawyn not to reside overnight on the site, nor in the vicinity of Menwith Hill. (The MoD Police had supplied the NYCC with 2 lists of women's names, but they managed only to issue writs for 8 of the women, & could only identifiy 3 on whom to serve their writs). The Highways Authority went back to the High Court on October 29th 1998 to seek a Possession Order for the lay-by land. The hearing had to be adjourned to allow for consideration of the new Human Rights' legislation. The judge ordered that the camp site be cleared of all but one token caravan. The women complied with this High Court Order & removed nine caravans & all equipment on November 27th 1998. |
 What shall we do when camp is evicted? |
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At the hearing on February 5th 1999 it became evident during cross-examination, that the NYCC had withheld documentary evidence of its collusion with Menwith Hill Station. Mr Justice Hooper ordered discovery of all relevant correspondence. Documents thus disclosed revealed that the eviction of the Women's Peace Camp had been instigated by the Menwith Hill authorities. It emerged that Squadron Leader E C (Ted) Sumner, RAF (acting as Liaison Officer for the US National Security Agency) met with Mr M (Mike) Masterman, Chief of NYCC's Environmental Management Department, on September 23rd 1996. At that meeting they discussed Menwith Hill's complaints that the camp was a nuisance & an application to have the camp evicted (& how to achieve it without appearing to involve the station authorities). (For the US NSA to be seen to interfere with the UK citizens' freedom to demonstrate could be politically damaging to them & acutely embarrassing if publicised). The NYCC Legal Department was instructed to act, ostensibly on behalf of the NYCC Highways' Authority, & initiate proceedings. |
 Camp among the nettles i the wind & rain, of course! |
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The women continue to maintain that their right to protest in the way they choose, by living outside the base, is enshrined in the Human Rights' Act '98 & by recent legal precedents. |
 Before .. August 1999 2nd eviction |
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The judge recognised that theirs is a serious & credible cause & on July 14th 1999 allowed the women the right to occupy the
lay-by with an Alternative Information Centre during the day (all day, every day, from 7am to 11pm - 16 hours!) but not to stay overnight. The women are currently negotiating to purchase a
suitable vehicle. Overnight camps continue to be held, currently on the 3rd weekend of the month.
"The basis of feminist activism is belief that women can do ANYTHING they CHOOSE & that patriarchal conflict in any area has to be challenged... by adopting feminist peace & empowerment..." Betty: camp meeting.
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 ... & after. August 1999 2nd eviction |
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Menwith Hill Women's Peace Camp c/o 8 Somerville Terrace OTLEY LS21 1HS West Yorkshire Tel. 44-(0)1943-466825 Email: FlossieMintballs@aol.com |
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| See also: |
Some of the women answer the questions we are most frequently asked: