page_title: Laurie Hislam
section_title: Stroud protester answered
hierarchical_section_title: Laurie Hislam / Local Activism in Stroud / Stroud protester answered
caption_attribution_description: English: Laurie having head shaved for Hiroshima memory
context_page_description: Laurence Hislam was an English peace activist. Hislam's anti-war feelings and activism developed from about 1938, first in the Peace Pledge Union working with Basque child refugees from the Spanish Civil War. His first notable individual activism was in 1939, when he released "rubber ball bombs" from a suitcase, causing chaos in Downing Street, for which he served one month hard labour. As an anarchist conscientious objector in WWII he served periods of imprisonment, wrote for War Commentary and distributed anti-war literature. In 1945 he joined The London Forum discussion group and later worked for the Freedom Defence Committee in London. In 1951 Hislam moved to Gloucestershire, where he continued with anti-war protests and activism including having his head shaved in 1964 and 1965 for a vigil to commemorate the dropping of a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, many local CND demonstrations and a pilgrimage to Rome hoping to influence Pope John XXIII to condemn nuclear weapons. He was a founder member of the Committee of 100 and took part in many CND protests. He was killed in a car crash in 1966.
context_section_description: Mr Harold Macmillan, the Prime Minister has replied to a protest made by Mr Laurence Hislam of Stroud against American nuclear tests. Mr Hislam, the Stroud CND member, who recently fasted for 99 hours, had sent the protest, with a petition signed by 1,000 people of Stroud, both to the Prime Minister and President Kennedy against the tests. The reply quotes an extract from The Times "In particular the President and the Prime Minister ..... reaffirmed their regret that the Soviet Government had not been willing to join in an effective treaty which would end testing..." Mr Hislam commented "In my view, the responsibility for our policy - based as it is on a threat to annihilate mankind - cannot be passed on to the Russians." (Gloucester Citizen, 9 May 1962)
caption: Laurie has head shaved
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