The First Nuclear Bombings
A fat man and a little boy fall from the sky.
They explode over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.
110,000-210,000 people are killed, mainly civilians.
Fat man for Hiroshima. And little boy for Nagasaki. These are the names given to the first nuclear bombs used in a war context.
Throughout the nuclear bombing anniversary week, Scottish peace groups gathered to commemorate the victims.
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Ayrshire CND arranged a plethora of peace events around the Ayrshire area.
A peace walk took place in Irvine, moving from the Harbour Arts Centre through the Town Centre and back.
There were also street stalls in Ayr and Kilmarnock, highlighting the new Reclaim Our Clyde campaign.
Report © Margaret Ferguson Burns
The two main speakers at our commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the Lord Provost of Glasgow Jacqueline McLaren and Hiro Shimai a curator at Glasgow Botanic Gardens whose responsibilities include growing trees from the seeds of gingko trees which survived the bombing.
Over the past few months discussions had been taking place involving the Lord Provost, City Council officials and Jean Anderson of Glasgow CND about the creation of new peace gardens featuring the gingko trees. The Lord Provost announced that peace gardens which have a strong educational role will be created and that the first will be completed by 2025.
Jean Anderson said that Glasgow CND, SCND and Peace Education Scotland are proud to collaborate with the City Council to help make the gardens places of education and hope. She said we will take our knowledge into local schools, involve youngsters in the work of creating the gardens and that truth and knowledge will be the weapons we pass on to them to make a better future.
Maggi Sale, an oft arrested campaigner against nuclear weapons since the 1970s and convenor of the Peace March Scotland in 1982 concluded the event by giving a very interesting and entertaining talk. The Protest in Harmony choir sang songs of peace.
By David Peutherer, Glasgow CND
CND North-East Scotland in collaboration with other peace activist groups in Aberdeen like the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign [organised] the “Ninety Seconds to Midnight/ No More Hiroshima” event outside Marischal College in Aberdeen. The event [commemorated] the 79th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings while also drawing attention to existing conflicts such as the Ukraine-Russia war and the war in Gaza.
The event featured speeches, stories from Hiroshima survivors shared by Yu Aoki, poetry readings, and music performed by The Melting Pot. A table was also set up with leaflets outlining CND operations, the Scottish campaign for nuclear disarmament, the effects of nuclear weapons, and the escalating conflict in Ukraine.
Yu Aoki, a third-generation Hiroshima survivor and lecturer at the University of Aberdeen Business School, highlighted the long-term consequences suffered by atomic bomb survivors. She talked about people who were born with illnesses like microcephaly in particular, a disease in which a baby’s head is much smaller than expected, which leads to brain injury that affects them for the rest of their lives.
By Marwa Daher from Eventful Lens blog, see full article here.
Renfrewshire CND gathered in the Peace Garden, at Barshaw Park in Paisley, to commemorate the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Stirling CND remembered the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings by placing a wreath at the peace garden memorial in Pullar Memorial Park, Bridge of Allan.
We are always keen to welcome new members to the group (contact the Chair of Stirling CND, Kenneth Wardrop kennethmwardrop@gmail.com), and we maintain a social media presence through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StirlingCND
