About

The World War II Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is located three miles west of the university city of Cambridge, England on Highway A-1303 and sixty miles north of London.  It takes about two and a quarter hours driving from London by automobile.  Cambridge may also be reached by railroad from the Liverpool Street Station.  Travel time is about one and a half hours.  Train service is frequent.  Taxicab service to the cemetery is available at the Cambridge Station.  There are excellent hotels in the city.

First established on 7 December 1943, these 30.5 acres, donated by the University of Cambridge, were selected as a permanent American Military Cemetery due not only to the scenic grandeur, but also because a large proportion of American casualties occurred in this general area of East Anglia. The cemetery was dedicated on 16 July 1956.

Descriptions

This is a memorial devoted to the ultimate sacrifice made by so many American servicemen and women during the Second World War. The grassy hillside is an army of 3,812 tombstones, and the Wall of the Missing lists the names of some 5,000 more soldiers buried in unknown graves. From the entrance by the flagpole, follow the gravel path alongside the rectangular lily ponds to the memorial chapel, fronted by five pillars. Outside and in, wall maps chart the Allies' progress. The cemetery is on the Guide Friday bus tour route and opening hours are for winter; summer hours: 8a-6p, Su-Sa. Admission: free.

The base of the 72-foot flagpole in front of the Visitors' Building carries an inscription taken from John McCrae's poem - In Flanders Fields, "...To You From Failing Hands We Throw The Torch - Be Yours To Hold It High." From a point at the northern edge of the flagpole platform, one notices the headstones are aligned like the spokes of a wheel. The excellent view makes this feature the focal point of the cemetery.

The Memorial, like the great Wall, is built of Portland stone. On the north face of the Memorial are five pylons each inscribed with a date recalling the five years from 1941 through 1945 in which the United States participated in the war. The main doors are of teakwood, and bear the bronze models of military equipment and naval vessels. The interior of the Memorial is divided into the large museum chamber, and the smaller devotional chapel

The mosaic ceiling, by American artist, Francis Scott Bradford, is a memorial to those Americans who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. Army Air Force. The ghostly aircraft, accompanied by mourning angels, make their final flight toward the Glory.

Architects for the cemetery and memorial were Perry, Shaw, Hepburn and Dean, Boston, Massachusetts. The landscape architects were Olmsted Brothers, Brookline, Mass.

For additional information concerning this cemetery and memorial you may contact the Superintendent or one of his assistants on duty in the Visitors' Building.

Opening hours:
The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.