A Bit of History
One hundred years ago, on February 19, 1924, the Welsh Women’s Appeal, signed by nearly 400,00 women, was presented to the women of the United States at the Biltmore Hotel in New York. There were over 600 women present, representing millions of women from across the US.
After a three year search, the leather-bound appeal and the petition containing the signatures were found in the National Museum of American History in Washington DC in 2018. Finally, in March 2023, the petition and the chest in which it was brought to the US were rematriated to the National Library in Aberystwyth. The copy of the original appeal was left in the Museum of American History.
A Peace Partnership has emerged to remember and celebrate this historic event and to honor the women who signed the petition. The partnership includes the Welsh Centre of International Affairs, the Peace Academy (Academi Heddwch), the Women’s Archive Wales, the Smithsonian Institute, Heddwch Nain Mam-Gu, the National Library of Wales, and the National Museums of Wales, among others. Heddwch Nain Mam-Gu USA was established and also joined the partnership.
Heddwch Nain Mam-Gu in the US Today
We would like to note the centenary of this historic action by reaching out to at least 10 groups in the US and Canada to share this remarkable story. We need your help to make this possible. Are you a member of a group or know of a group or institution which might be interested in hearing more about this unique story? Maybe a women’s studies or peace department at a university, a Welsh Society or religious community, school or student group, or simply a small group of friends? Please contact us!
We’d love for you to be involved with this project in other ways too:
- Invite us to give a ZOOM presentation t o your organization; an in-person presentation may also be possible. See next page for a list of presentations already scheduled.
- Scour your newspaper archives for any news about the Welsh ladies visiting the USA in 1924
- Publish celebrations on your Facebook page – see Welsh Society of Western New England’s Facebook page and forward Heddwch Nain announcements to your Facebook page.
Participate in the transcribing of the petition, especially if you have some knowledge of the Welsh language. See mailchi.mp/wcia.org.uk/academi-heddwch-cymru
Heddwch Nain Mam-Gu USA Committee: Eirlys Barker, Annie Rodgers, Jacqueline Burek, Susan Davies Sit Ann Griffith, Ellen Jones Suita, Jessie Roberts, Margaret West. Contact us at HanesH9UD@gmail.com
Feature image: Gwladys Thomas, Mary Ellis, Annie Hughes Griffiths, and Elined Prys at the White House 21 February 1924.
Presentations about the Welsh Women’s Appeal
We have been invited to speak to students in the Women’s Studies Department at Smith College and one family is gathering its members from across the world for a family story time. Please invite us to share this amazing story with you and your friends.
We have some presentations already set:
- Welsh Heritage Center in Lincoln, Nebraska; 1 PM CST on February 4th | Zoom link: zoom.us/j/92810490156?pwd=c0VncnZlL1U1bmZDL0xZQzNGTmkyQT09
- Smith College, Massachusetts on February 8; in-person event.
- National World War I Museum & Memorial in Kansas City on March 9. Details coming soon.
Peace Petition Project: Transcribing the Signatures by Ellen Siuta
On the 5th of April 2023, the 100-year-old Peace Petition signed by 390,296 Welsh women was returned to Wales from the USA marking a century of Welsh women-led anti-war effort.
After a few weeks of helping to work out the kinks with the transcribing process, I am now one of the first 200 volunteers who have signed up both here in the USA and Wales. We are now beginning the task of transcribing all the signatures and addresses. So far we have barely scratched the surface as there are only three boxes available at the moment for us to transcribe and we have 33 boxes to go through. Other boxes will be made available soon and more volunteers will be recruited.
When I open up the transcribing process it helps bring these 100-year-old names to life. It is an amazing feeling as you look at the signatures of these Women in Wales from 100 years ago and the reason behind the Petition for World Peace.
I have been transcribing for a few weeks now and every time it is an amazing experience despite the challenge of trying to understand the script from 100 years ago. With careful deliberation, we will attempt to correctly decipher each signature and address. I’m originally from Criccieth but have yet to transcribe any signatures from there.
A support team from the National Library is in place to help with any questions regarding the transcribing process. We use Welsh archival census information, Google search, and mapping sources to help confirm addresses, some of which no longer exist. All of this effort helps to bring these signatures to life. What an awesome experience!
Further Reading
Check out some of these links for more information about the Women’s Peace Petition.
- nation.cymru/news/purple-plaque-honours-forgotten-welsh-peace-campaigner/
- An OpEd in The Guardian by Rowan Williams: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/30/welsh-women-wales-peace-petition
- From the National Library of Wales: www.library.wales/about-nlw/press-and-news/press-releases/2023-press-releases/100-year-old-womens-peace-petition-to-return-to-wales-from-the-usa
- From NPR in the US: www.npr.org/2023/04/29/1171794048/war-peace-petition-wales-women-anniversary
