Northumbria Research Link Citation: Roberts, Sophie (2018) British Women Activists and the Campaigns against the Vietnam War, 1965-75. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University. This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/40000/ Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html British Women Activists and the Campaigns against the Vietnam War, 1965-75 Sophie Roberts PhD 2018 British Women Activists and the Campaigns against the Vietnam War, 1965-75 Sophie Roberts A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Northumbria at Newcastle for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Research undertaken in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences October 2018 Abstract This thesis makes an original contribution to the literature on anti-war protest in Britain by assessing the role of women activists in the movement against the Vietnam War. The study adds to the existing scholarship concerning British peace activism in this era, which either tends to focus on the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) or on the role of students in the protests of the 1960s. The thesis appraises the role of female activists, exploring their backgrounds, motivations and methods. The main part of the thesis is dedicated to case studies of four women. Peggy Duff, former organising secretary of CND, embraced transnational relationships, as exemplified by her role as general secretary of the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace. Anne Kerr, a Labour MP, pursued an anti-war agenda by parliamentary means. Amicia Young placed her status as a scientist and trade unionist at the heart of her activism whilst serving as secretary of a national organisation, the British Campaign for Peace in Vietnam (BCPV). Finally, Margaret Stanton ran a thriving local branch of the BCPV in Birmingham. Unlike CND and the more militant Vietnam Solidarity Campaign, BCPV has not attracted much historiographical attention, despite its prominent role in navigating the political terrain between the decline of CND and the rise of new protest movements. The discussion of these women broadens our understanding of the interplay between gender and peace activism, providing an analysis of both gendered and non- gendered approaches to anti-war protest. It locates this activism within the political contexts of late 1960s and early 1970s Britain. The dissertation draws on a wide variety of sources, including organisational records, memoirs, correspondence, and personal interviews. i Contents Abstract i Acknowledgements iii Author’s declaration vi List of abbreviations vii Introduction: Contextualising the British anti-war movement 1 Section A: Women activists between CND, the Labour Party and anti-war protest Chapter 1: Taking ‘the acid test’: Anne Kerr MP and the Vietnam War 37 Chapter 2: Having ‘a wider, more global outlook’: the anti-war evolution 75 of Peggy Duff Section B: Women activists and the British Campaign for Peace in Vietnam (BCPV) Chapter 3: Working in ‘as united a fashion as possible’: Dr Amicia More 117 Young and multiple levels of engagement with the British Council for Peace in Vietnam Chapter 4: Being ‘the cement that holds the bricks together’: Margaret 160 Stanton and the Birmingham Campaign for Peace in Vietnam Section C: Gender and anti-war action in the 1960s and 1970s Chapter 5: Gendering the conflict: motherist and feminist approaches to 189 the Vietnam War Conclusion 226 Appendix 1: General election results in Birmingham constituencies in 230 the period 1959–74 Bibliography 232 Primary sources 232 Secondary sources 233 ii Acknowledgements This thesis has truly been a labour of love, and one which I could not have completed without the assistance and support of so many important individuals. My supervisor Dr Daniel Laqua has been a constant source of support throughout this process. His intellect and insight have been fantastic sources of inspiration and guidance and I cannot thank him enough for his dedication to this project. His critical eye is truly exceptional. At times throughout this process, I got the feeling he would worry that I’d interpret his rigorous editing as nit-picking. This was never the case and I am truly grateful for the thoroughness with which he has always treated my work. Many thanks are also owed to Professor Sylvia Ellis, who supervised the first year of this thesis. Additionally, it was conversations with Sylvia which germinated the seeds of this project. She deserves credit for enabling a working-class girl from the ‘most deprived town in Britain’ to entertain the notion that she could tackle a doctorate. Dr Ruth Lewis has also offered invaluable cross- disciplinary insight into the thesis and graciously read drafts which I’m sure have often diverged with the conventions of sociology. To all three, my deepest thanks for your continued support. Thanks also to the staff at the Modern Records Centre, Hull History Centre, J.B. Priestley Library at the University of Bradford and People’s History Museum, Manchester. The professional and courteous service I’ve encountered at all of these wonderful institutions made the researching and ultimately, writing, of this thesis that much smoother. I am also exceptionally grateful for grants received from Northumbria University’s postgraduate fund, as well as from the Royal Historical Society and the Society for the Study of Labour History, which facilitated this research. This thesis would be much worse off without the insight from those who agreed to be interviewed or provide comments on the female activists within it. My humblest of thanks go to Jennifer Stanton, Richard Gott and Hermione Sacks, all of whom opened their homes with warmth and hospitality to speak of their remarkable relatives and friends, and made extra historical materials available to me from their iii personal collections. John Gittings, Noam Chomsky, Kathleen Sheridan and Euan Duff also provided insightful statements on the tour-de-force that was Peggy Duff and the British anti-war movement more generally. Hopefully you will agree that the thesis is more colourful for these generous comments. My family and friends have been truly gracious in suffering with me through the high and low points inherent in a project on this scale. Thanks to those of you who acted as research assistants and helped turn research trips into mini-breaks! Thank you to my wonderful parents, Andy and Jo, who instilled in me a love of reading from an early age and always taught me that I could do anything with a bit of grit and determination. They continued to feed my interest in history over the years, with books on the assassination of JFK and other topics which may have seemed rather strange material for consumption by a ten-year-old. Thanks also to my grandparents, Josie and Wal, who continued to foster my historical interests by agreeing to be interviewed when I attempted to research the family tree aged eight, and by regaling me with stories of life living in Malta in the late 1960s. Words cannot express how much I love you all. My sisters, Stephanie and Natalie, have provided many hours of light relief throughout the course of this project and have always helped keep my feet on the ground. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you both, but I’ll continue to cherish your love, hilarity and general bonkers-ness. Ours is my favourite team I’ve ever been on. My brother-in-law Tom has always allowed me to bend his ear on the progress of this thesis and encouraged and believed in me – thanks bro, you’re a true gem. Similarly, my best and oldest friend Jayne deserves credit for her unwavering belief in my capabilities, as well as her constant cheerleading and support. Only a true friend would bake cupcakes to celebrate the completion of a full first draft! Thanks for all the laughs you continue to give me – I’m hoping you will give your consent for me to ghost-write your memoirs soon. Finally, thanks to my partner Lewis, who happily became my fiancé throughout this process. It’s a cliché to say that words are never enough, but in this case, it also happens to be true. You’ve picked me up and buoyed me when I’ve needed it, and always helped me to see the bigger picture. Your support in helping me to pursue historical study has been invaluable and your belief in me has never iv faltered, even at times when I’ve been unsure of my own capabilities. It’s no exaggeration to say that I couldn’t have done this without you. Don’t worry, I’m not going to force you to read the full thing – you’ve suffered enough. Here’s to the next eighty (optimistic, maybe). Thanks again. v Author’s Declaration I declare that the work contained in this thesis has not been submitted for any other award and that it is all my own work.