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Wisbech, Cambridgeshire: Quest for Peace

The Quaker nominated for a Nobel peace prize

A quest for world peace was started in Wisbech long before World War One. Priscilla Hannah Peckover was a Quaker and started the Wisbech Local Peace Association in 1878.

During WW1there were over three thousand members in the local area with many of them joining the Friends Ambulance Service. Priscilla published leaflets to encourage women to develop the peace movement and – being part of the Quaker banking family – was generous to those in need.

Her steadfastness for peace won her four nominations for the Nobel peace prize.

As the active President of the Wisbech Local Peace Association she was in touch with supporters all over the world and sent out volumes of tracts, declaration books and membership cards all bearing β€˜Wisbech’ in the lead of the world movement.

Priscilla published a quarterly journal titled β€œPeace and Goodwill” over fifty years, translated the Bible into Esperanto, learnt seventeen languages and was a talented artist.

Location: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 1JR
Image: Wisbech Local Peace Association, which was Priscilla’s published journal. Image courtesy of Brian Donald.

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