Bert Bissel and the Ben Nevis Peace Cairns
The Second World War ended shortly after nuclear bombs were dropped in Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Many people were horrified by the use of atomic bombs, and installed monuments and plaques noting this.
Bert Bissel, a mountain climber and peace campaigner from Dudley, England, traveled with members of his Dudley Bible Class to Fort William, Scotland, on VJ ("Victory in Japan") Day (August 14 1945). They climbed to the summit of Ben Nevis (the highest peak in the UK), where they dedicated a Peace Cairn at the summit. Bissel was also instrumental in placing similar cairns at other world peaks, and earned the title of MBE ("Most Excellent Order of the British Empire"), the World Methodist Peace Award, and acclaim from the Japanese government. The Hiroshima Plaque was presented to the comunity of Fort William on January 1, 1968; it may be viewed there today at the West Highland Museum. A Peace Cairn, made from stone hewn from Ben Nevis, was presented to Hiroshima by the communities of Dudley and Fort William in 1972, where it remains on display in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
The Peace Climbs at Ben Nevis were repeated annually for many years. Bissel, often accompanied by the people of Dudley, Fort William, and members of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, ascended the mountain over 100 times, the last in 1993, when he was 91 years old. He was accompanied in 1978 by the Gentlemen Songsters Male Voice Choir from Dudley, which became the first choir to sing at the summit of Ben Nevis. Bissel passed away in 1998 at the age of 96, and is buried at Glen Nevis Cemetery.
Take a walk on the lovely trails of the Beals Pond State Forest, where you'll find eight winter-friendly caches to sooth your spirit and restore your faith in human nature. We hope you'll keep the feeling with you when you leave the woods to face the world again! Your journey should take about two hours, and is available to everyone in any season.