Ahead of the opening of the World Disarmament Conference (WDC) in Geneva from February 1932 – or the ‘Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments’ as it was formally known – Welsh churches organised a memorial campaign signed by over 1,000 congregations across Wales through the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU, predecessor to today’s WCIA, the Welsh Centre for International Affairs).
The memorial cover, and the Wales-wide campaign gathering support of communities throughout Wales, have clear similarities to the 1923-24 Welsh Women’s Peace Appeal to America and the 1925 Churches Peace Appeal, and through WLNU local branches – many of which were in chapels and churches – it is likely to have been organised by many of the same people.
The WDC itself was hobbled by the rise of autocratic powers, in particular the 1933 withdrawal of Germany (following the election of Adolf Hitler ) from both the WDC and the League. The Conference closed without reaching agreement in Nov 1934.
Further info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_for_the_Reduction_and_Limitation_of_Armaments
Accounts of Wales’ 1931 World Disarmament Campaign
The following pages from the WLNU’s Annual Report of 1931-32, offer source commentary on the Wales-wide campaign spearheaded by church denominations, WLNU local branches and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
