Have you heard about Cambridge City Cemetery? It is more than just a burial ground. Cambridge City Cemetery is a place filled with stories of lives lived.
Cambridge City Cemetery, also locally known as Newmarket Road Cemetery, began as Cambridge Borough Cemetery on June 6, 1903. Later, it was renamed The Regional Cemetery. It finally became Cambridge City Cemetery. Today, it spans eight hectares, offering unlimited pedestrian access every day.
Now, let’s step inside Cambridge City Cemetery. Notice the different sections? There’s a Jewish Section, a Muslim Section, and a Roman Catholic section. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission section stands out.
This section holds over 1,000 war graves. These are servicemen and women from both World Wars. Cambridge City Cemetery is one of only six UK cemeteries with so many war graves. Over 180 graves are from World War I. The No.1 Eastern General Hospital was in Cambridge then.
The World War II graves are in two War Graves Plots. The General Service plot began in 1940. The Air Force plot opened in 1942. It was for casualties from Royal Air Force stations in eastern counties. These included Bomber Command bases and fighter bases.
Nearby stands a Cross of Sacrifice. The Stone of Remembrance is reserved for cemeteries with over 1,000 Commonwealth service burials. Lord Tedder unveiled it in the Air Force plot in July 1951.
Cambridge City Cemetery also holds notable burials. Bertha Lewis rests here. She was a principal contralto with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. Alec David Young, a British aero-engineer, also lies here.
Philip de Fonblanque, a senior British officer, is buried here. He organised logistics for the British Expeditionary Force in 1939–40. Martin Roth, a British psychiatrist, also calls this place his last.
Alexis Charles Doxat, an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, rests in Cambridge City Cemetery. James John McLeod Innes, a Scottish Victoria Cross recipient, is also buried here. Frederick Robertson, a British flying ace of World War II, lies here.
Barbara Yung, a Hong Kong actress from the 1980s, is buried here. Sir German Sims Woodhead, a pathologist, rests here too. Choudhry Rahmat Ali, the man who coined the name “Pakistan”, is also buried in Cambridge City Cemetery.
The cemetery is still in use, but space is becoming limited. Cambridge City Cemetery serves as the final resting place for many local people.
Consider the story of Aircraftman First Class Harry Clack. In October 1940, he was posted to No. 54 Maintenance Unit, RAF, based at Marshalls of Cambridge. Just days later, while recovering a crashed Luftwaffe Dornier 215, he was electrocuted. Harry was only 16. He is one of the youngest service personnel to die during the war.
Take a moment to appreciate the meticulous arrangement of the headstones. They stand in lines drawn with military precision. There’s no distinction between military and civilian personnel. Officers and other ranks, men and women, are all treated equally. In some instances, the crew of a crashed bomber are buried together.
Cambridge City Cemetery includes four non-war service burials. It also contains ten war graves of other nationalities.
Cambridge City Cemetery serves as a reminder of the past. It honors those who served and those who contributed to society. As you leave, remember the stories within these grounds. Reflect on the lives and sacrifices made. Cambridge City Cemetery stands as a testament to remembrance.