Henley Friends unveil peace tree plaque
The plaque bears a quotation from John Greenleaf Whittier, saying: ‘Love shall tread out the baleful fire of anger, and in its ashes plant the tree of peace.’
Twenty Quakers from Henley Meeting gathered last month to unveil a plaque for their peace tree. The plaque bears a quotation from John Greenleaf Whittier, saying: ‘Love shall tread out the baleful fire of anger, and in its ashes plant the tree of peace.’
The rowan tree was donated in 2019, which the Parks Department planted in a popular open space near the river, making sure it was looked after in its settling-in period.
‘Henley-on-Thames has many memorials for townsfolk who have been killed in war, but nothing to denote hope for the future – peace,’ Toby Bainton, from Henley Meeting, told the Friend. ‘A plaque was to be unveiled by the mayor, and guests were to be invited from the town’s churches for the ceremony at blossom-time in 2020. Apart from the blossom, these plans were forestalled by the pandemic. Individual Friends have kept an eye on the tree and even watered it.’
