Cambridge City Cemetery

Cambridge City Cemetery is the main burial ground of the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of the city, at the junction of Newmarket Road and Ditton Lane, close to Cambridge Airport. It is a working municipal cemetery, but also a place where local history, wartime memory and a few well-known names meet.

Where is Cambridge City Cemetery and how do you get there?

The cemetery sits to the north-east of the historic centre, on the busy Newmarket Road, one of the main routes leading out of Cambridge towards the east. The entrance area is at the crossing with Ditton Lane. The nearby Cambridge Airport gives a useful landmark when you look for it on a map. Its coordinates are roughly 52.212 N, 0.167 E. Because it is an active cemetery, visitors should behave as in any place of remembrance: keep voices low, stay on the paths and respect graves and people attending funerals.

When was it founded?

The first burial took place on 6 June 1903, at a time when the site was known as Cambridge Borough Cemetery. Sources do not fully agree on the exact founding date: one gives 1902 as the opening year, while another says the cemetery was laid out in 1905. For a visitor, the safest summary is that it dates from the very beginning of the twentieth century and has served the city ever since.

Why is it important for war history?

The cemetery is a significant war grave site. More than 1,000 servicemen and women who died as a result of service in the two world wars are buried here.

• First World War: there are 181 burials from this conflict. Most are connected with the 1st Eastern General Hospital, which was based in Cambridge during the war, so many of the men buried here were treated in the city and died there.
• Second World War: the plots include a General Service plot, established by the Council in 1940, and a section for Air Force burials. In the Air Force plots 731 airmen lie together, along with three members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

The graves are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the site is also listed on websites dedicated to war cemeteries in the United Kingdom.

Who is buried at Cambridge City Cemetery?

Several people with a place in history rest here:

• Norman Bleehen, an oncologist, radiologist and professor.
• Bertha Lewis, principal contralto of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
• Alec David Young, a British aero-engineer.
• Philip de Fonblanque, a senior British officer who organised logistics for the British Expeditionary Force in 1939-40.
• Choudhary Rahmat Ali, regarded as one of the founders of Pakistan.
• Barbara Yung, a Chinese actor.

Is it worth visiting?

This is not a classic sightseeing attraction, but it suits visitors interested in the history of Cambridge beyond the university colleges: military history, the story of the city's hospitals in the First World War, local biography and the quiet atmosphere of an early twentieth-century municipal cemetery.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cambridge City Cemetery still in use? Yes, it is the main burial ground of the city.

How many war graves are there? Over 1,000 servicemen and women from both world wars.

Where exactly is it? At the junction of Newmarket Road and Ditton Lane, near Cambridge Airport.