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Men of Cambridgeshire - 'The Homecoming'

This war memorial comprises a bronze figure of a British soldier surmounting a limestone plinth with a single step base. The plinth has elaborate carved panels to the top half, with flush stonework to the lower section. The plinth carries an incised inscription with lettering painted in red. The memorial is located at the junction of Station Road and Hill Road outside Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

In 2016 War Memorials Trust awarded a grant of £2,240 towards the undertaking of conservation works to clean the memorial using a DOFF steam cleaning system. Consolidation of damaged stonework carvings was carried out using lime putty with profiles repaired to match the original stonework design. In addition, loose and failing mortar was raked-out from the memorial’s joints which were then repointed using a lime mortar. Localised re-painting of lettering where this had deteriorated was carried out using acrylic paint to match original.

The bronze figure was designed by the sculptor Robert Tait McKenzie with George Hubbard the architect. The memorial was unveiled by HRH The Duke of York KG in 1922 and dedicated in 1923. The figure is known to have been relocated twice once in the 1950’s and again in 2012.

The inscriptions read:
To The Men Of Cambridgeshire/ And The Isle Of Ely, The Borough/ And University Of Cambridge/ Who Served In The Great War/ 1914-1919/ And In The World War/ 1939-1945

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM2294
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 887

warmemorialsonline: 121619

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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