The Cambridge RAF Association Branch, together with the Royal British Legion and the British Australia Society, held an Anzac Remembrance Service on Saturday (27 April) in the Cambridge City Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery.
The ceremony, which honours servicemen from Australia and New Zealand who gave their lives during both world wars, was first held at the cemetery in Newmarket Road in 2017.
Next year, it will be held back in St Andrew’s Church, where it was originally held before 2017, and then it will alternate between the two.
David Bailey, chairman of the Cambridge branch of the RAF Association, which organised the event, said about 100 people attended, including Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, Cambridgeshire High Sheriff David Way and the mayor of Cambridge, Cllr Jenny Gawthrope Wood, together with representatives of the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions.
Music was provided by the St Catharine’s College Girls’ Choir and the Citadel Band of the Salvation Army, and there were standard bearers from the Royal British Legion, the Air Cadets and the RAF Association on parade, together with a detachment of Air Cadets from the Cambridge Air Cadet Squadron.
David said people who attended had described it as “a very moving experience”.
“We had a visit from retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon, who in previous years had given the main speech, and he thought it was a very moving.
“We had as the main speaker Air Commodore Rich Paul, who is a director of the RAF Association’s council.
“I gave an initial talk before the service started, saying how grateful we are to the Australian and New Zealand airmen who are buried in the Commonwealth War Graves in Cambridge – there are 330 of them.”
The service was conducted by the Rev Alan Jesson, the chaplain for the Cambridgeshire Royal British Legion, and there were speakers from both the Australian Defence Force and the New Zealand Defence Force.
After the service, there were refreshments in the Cambridge Air Cadets hall, opposite the cemetery.
Among the 1,018 war graves in the cemetery are 250 Australian and 80 New Zealand airmen’s graves from the Second World War, plus 20 Anzac servicemen’s graves from the First World War.
[Read more: *[*Anzac Remembrance Service at Cambridge City Cemetery is poignant reminder of war losses*](https://premium.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/anzac-remembrance-service-at-cambridge-city-cemetery-is-poig-9250992/)]*
Anzac Day (25 April) is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars.
