The Soldier

This is just one unnamed soldier buried in the Madingley Cemetery near Cambridge. The cemetery is the final resting place of over 9,000 American servicemen drafted into World War 2.

It's quite poignant and humbling to walk around the graves here. There are around 3,000 bodies buried, amongst them 22 unnamed spots such as this. In addition the wall of rememberence has over 5,000 names on to honour those lost without trace.

I couldn't help but think of Rupert Brooke as I wandered through the thousands of graves in this tranquil corner of Cambridge. He attended Kings College Cambridge and quite famously spent time at Grantchester just a stones throw from this site. He died before World War 2 (in 1915) but famously penned the poem the soldier which foretold his own death, containing the line:

"If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England",

Well there is also a corner of an English City that is forever American. I hope these 9,000+ brave souls have found a peace. Somewhere.