500 Continue H-Bomb Protest March

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28554, 7 April 1958, Page 11

500 Continue H-Bomb Protest March

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 5. More than 500 hydrogenbomb protest marchers left Hounslow, on the western outskirts of London, in snow and sleet today on the second lap of their 50-mile trek to the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Research Station in Berkshire. They were all that remained of 5,000 demonstrators who .set off from Trafalgar Square yesterday for the 10-mile walk to Hounslow About 1,000 of them reached the first destination, where hundreds decided to go home by bus and underground train for a night's rest, promising to join up again with the column today. The marchers, who bedded down in public halls and homes in Hounslow, gathered in driving sleet and snow this morning carrying banners bearing anti-hydro-gen bomb slogans. An official said: “The weather

has been . against us but the marchers’ spirits, are high.” Today, they march to Maidenhead on the river Thames by way of London Airport. Meetings will be held with Labour Members of Parliament,—Mr. Frank Allaun and Mr Fenner Brockway. —addressing the demonstrators. Th,ey plan to reach Aldermaston on Monday for an address by Bishop Niemoeller, president of the Evangelical Synod of Hesse. West Germany. At ' least two persons will keep a week-long vigil outside the research station. About 1.000 workers—normally are 3,soo—and one shift from a;security force of 100 will be on the job at Aldermaston wheh the marchers arrive. The’ Atomic Energy Authority regards the protest march as “a peaceful . demonstration of opinion.” The demonstrators who went from Hounslow last night were deterred by the bad weather today and left the survivors to tramp on without them.

The peace marchers, who are mainly young persons, covered six miles in two hours before breaking ranks and dashing into a tavern on the Great West road Bedraggled, in soaking clothes they besieged the bars while hundreds outside tried to push into the packed saloons In spite of the heavy rain the marchers joked .and laughed about the weather. Banners carried by the marchers came from as far away as Dublin. They went off from Slough singing the theme song of the march: “Ban the Bomb.” The marchers, at their halts were keenly discussing stories about the march in today’s morning and evening papers and were critical of suggestions that the march was a Communist-inspired stunt. A group of pacifists ended their United Nations “walk for peace” protest against nuclear tests yesterday and announced they would stage their next demonstrations outside the Cape Canaveral missile testing site on April 14 and 15.