60 Faces: Joan Ruddock

‘On 17th June 1980 the government announced American cruise missiles would be sited at Greenham Common. A year earlier I’d been Labour’s candidate in the general election. Within a day colleagues and I had launched the non-party Newbury Campaign Against Cruise Missiles.

‘I became a great supporter (of CND) and in Nov 1981 I was elected Chair. For the next four years Bruce Kent and I led a rapidly growing movement, organising major protests. We were spied upon and threatened but never wavered.

‘CND continued to campaign for the removal of US missiles and the Soviet SS20s throughout the 80s. In 1987 a unilateral initiative to remove both was proposed by President Gorbachev and reciprocated by President Reagan. One of Gorbachev’s advisors told me “your campaigns inspired us”.’

What is 60 faces of CND?
2018 is the 60th anniversary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Founded in 1958 at the height of the Cold War, CND has been a powerful collective voice against the dangers of nuclear weapons.

CND’s greatest strength has always been its members.
Incredible people have shaped our history,
our present and will continue to inspire in the future.

Here we take a look at 60 Faces of CND,
60 people who represent all the millions of people
who have campaigned for nuclear disarmament over the decades
and have made our organisation so remarkable.