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February Object of the Month

February 1, 201710:57 amSeptember 25, 2023 10:59 amLeave a Comment

CND placard

This month’s object of the month is a CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) placard that was carried at the first Aldermaston march in April 1958. The placard was made by Northampton CND and is of the symbol for nuclear disarmament, which was created for the march by Bradford artist Gerald Holtom. However, as the symbol was never copyrighted, it has remarkably become recognisable all over the world as a symbol for peace.

After the development and use of nuclear weapons during the Second World War, other countries joined the race to create and test their own new nuclear weapons. This caused a lot of fear amongst people of the very real possibility of a nuclear war. CND was founded amidst this environment in London by philosopher Bertrand Russell, then 86 years old, and the Rev Canon (Lewis) John Collins in February 1958 just two months prior to the April march. Huge numbers of people attended their first meeting and CND has continued to expand and campaign non-violently to rid the world of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

If you would like to come and see the placard it is on display in our main gallery.  We also have lots of other objects on display throughout our three galleries about CND, nuclear weapons and campaigning, including a copy of the original design for the nuclear disarmament symbol by Gerald Holtom.

If you would like to find out more about CND you can visit their website: www.cnduk.org/home

Written by Ezra Kingston

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