Helen Wyn Thomas (16 August 1966 – 5 August 1989) was a Welsh peace activist from Newcastle Emlyn. Hers was the only death incurred in the course of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp campaign.Jon Gower, The Story of Wales (Random House 2012): 314.
Early life and education Helen Wyn Thomas was born at Newcastle Emlyn in Carmarthenshire. Her parents were John and Janet Thomas; they ran an electrical business in the town. She earned a history degree at St David's University College.Rachael Misstear, "The Woman Who Paid the Ultimate Price for Peace" Wales Online (4 September 2011).
Activism and death After college Helen Thomas lived in Cardiff and worked for Cardiff Women's Aid,Ceri Jones, "Memorial to Anti-Missile Camp Victim" Western Mail (August 9, 2002). before becoming interested in the protest at Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp. She had been at the camp only two months when she died in August 1989, from head injuries sustained when she was struck by a West Midlands Police vehicle, while waiting to cross a road near the airbase's main "Yellow Gate". She was 22 years old. The death was ruled an accident at inquest, though her family and some fellow campaigners disputed that ruling. The family's request to reopen the investigation was denied.Lyn Smith, Voices Against War: A Century of Protest (Random House 2011): 59, esp. quote from Katrina Howse.
In 2010, a memorial was held at Greenham Common, led by her mother."Service for Greenham Campaigner" BBC News (2 August 2010). In 2011, a memorial bench was dedicated to Helen Thomas in her hometown, Newcastle Emlyn. At both memorial events, politician and musician Dafydd Iwan attended, and performed his song "Cân i Helen" in tribute."Greenham Common Campaigner Helen Thomas is Honoured" BBC News (6 November 2011). She was the only individual participant named in the Greenham Common Peace Garden memorial,Records of Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp (Yellow Gate), National Archives, Kew. with standing stones, an eternal flame feature, and a fountain at the centre of an inscribed spiral."Remembering Helen at Greenham Common" BEPJ: Cyfiawnder a Heddwch – Bro Emlyn – for Peace and Justice (10 July 2010).David Lowe and Tony Joel, Remembering the Cold War: Global Contest and National Stories (Routledge 2014): 48. Veronica Fiorato, "Greenham Common: the Conservation and Management of a Cold War Archetype" in John Schofield and Wayne Cocroft, eds., A Fearsome Heritage: Diverse Legacies of the Cold War (Left Coast Press 2009): 142–143.
See also List of peace activists
References
External links A handmade booklet (1989), in the collection of the Women's Archive of Wales, dedicated to the memory of Helen Thomas