STUDENTS, trade unionists, families with children and an American couple in their early twenties (main image) took part in a 2,000-strong anti-nuclear march in Glasgow in October 1961. One of the biggest contingents was from Glasgow University, where a two-week-old nuclear disarmament club already had 150 members.
A CND broadcasting van preceded the marchers, alternating its appeals to “Ban nuclear weapons” and “Free Pat Arrowsmith” with advice to marchers to “keep three abreast”.
Arrowsmith, who had co-organised the first Aldermaston March in 1958, was serving three months at Gateside prison, Greenock, for her part in a Holy Loch anti-Polaris demonstration. She had been on a hunger strike; before long, MPs would be raising questions in the Commons about her force-feeding.
The young Americans – Barton and Martha Stone – had taken part in a peace march from San Francisco to Moscow. She had joined the march in Texas; they quickly grew close, and were married in West Germany.
Now, in Glasgow, Barton was the principal speaker at the rally. The couple's presence said Keith Bovey, chairman of Glasgow CND, “gives the lie to allegations of partiality in our movement”.
The only diversion during the march was caused by an American sailor standing on the steps of a dance-hall. “Yank go home”, the marchers called out. “Just wish I could”, he retorted.
The anti-Polaris demonstrations that year had attracted much publicity; above, demonstrators speak to journalists at a "news desk" in Largs, in March.
Six protestors had been arrested at the beginning of that month when the Polaris missile submarine base depot ship, Proteus, berthed in the Holy Loch.
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