The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, has opened a permanent exhibition celebrating The Welsh Women's Peace Petition.

A copy of the iconic appeal and famous oak chest that carried the message of peace across the Atlantic to America feature, along with pages of the petition and accounts of the women who signed it.

Visitors can search for names of their relatives in the petition and will be able to reflect, share their own message of peace, and become part of the peace story that continues to this day.

Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, National Library Chief Executive said: “Since the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition returned to Wales in 2023, the National Library has worked diligently to share its story.

“The work to catalogue, digitise, transcribe and create a website since then means people from all over the world have access to this incredible resource, so they can look for their great grandmother, auntie or someone who lived on their street.

“The petition’s story, and that of the women behind it, remained hidden for too long – not any more. This dedicated exhibition space means their story is told, and the resilience of these women will be remembered for generations to come.”

Professor Mererid Hopwood, Wales’s National Peace Institute Secretary said: “In days that are full of stories about war and violence, the decision by our national library to dedicate a space to this important exhibition is a statement of faith and hope.

“It gives us an opportunity to be inspired by the past so we imagine - and create - a future where the people of the world can coexist peacefully with one another.

“It has been a privilege to collaborate with the National Library of Wales through Academi Heddwch Cymru (Wales’s National Peace Institute) to ensure the story of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition 1923-24 comes to light.

“This exhibition will aid the work of realising the vision of that petition, namely to "hand down to the generations which come after us, the proud heritage of a warless world".”

Signed by nearly 400,000 Welsh women, the petition of 1923–24 was a powerful act of solidarity and hope. Addressed to the women of America, it called for unity in the pursuit of a world without war; its message still resonates today.

The petition was launched in Aberystwyth in May 1923 and peace campaigners worked tirelessly to collect signatures in the following months. The final total of 390,296 signatures - one in three women in Wales - was proof of the widespread support for peace and the strength of Welsh women’s networks.

In February 1924, a delegation of Welsh women led by Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths travelled to the United States to present the petition to the women of America. They were warmly welcomed and toured major cities, speaking at public meetings, women’s clubs, and churches to share their message of peace.

To mark the centenary, the Smithsonian Institution made the honourable decision to gift the petition to Wales, giving it a new home at the National Library of Wales.

Search the petition at https://peacepetition.library.wales/