A new book is bringing the 1924 Women’s Peace Petition to life.

One hundred years ago in Wales 400,000 Welsh women called for peace - in a nation of three million today, this amounted to most of the women in the country.

Author and historian Norena Shopland, who hosted three workshops looking at the women behind the petition.

Collages by Jen Evans and Helen Sandler
Collages by Jen Evans and Helen Sandler (Jen Evans and Helen Sandler)

In the post-war country, women had new jobs, some had the right to vote, and with it came this unprecedented appeal.

The petition called for women in America to join them in calling the United States to join the League of Nations, described as a ‘world-inspiring’ campaign for peace.

Norena hosted creative writing workshops in St Fagans, the National Library of Wales and Conwy, encouraging attendees to bring the women behind the signatures to life.

The culmination is the free e-book, ‘A Peace of Writing’ - a book combining the many writers and artists inspired by the brave work of these women who traversed the Atlantic 100 years ago.

A lino cut by Lowri Kirkham capturing a woman going to get the last signature on the petition, number 390,296
A lino cut by Lowri Kirkham capturing a woman going to get the last signature on the petition, number 390,296 (Lowri Kirkham)

Norena said: “We were amazed by how quickly people submitted - they really took to this and the artwork and writing are fascinating.

“A lot of the women in the petition remain anonymous, so we wanted to find a way of creatively interpreting their lives.

“We looked at all sorts of aspects of women’s lives then - the fashion in the 1920s when women were wearing tighter waists and shorter skirts and what sort of shoes they would have worn whilst door knocking for the petition.

“In 1923, women over 30 and those who owned homes could vote in the general election for the first time, but young women could sign few things but their marriage certificate.

“Petitions have always been a way for the disenfranchised to have a voice.”

Her entries came from as far as America and included poetry, short stories, collages and lino prints.

A hard copy is now stored in the Nobel Peace Prize Library in Norway.