Coming Home, memorial in Cambridge

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What is recorded here

To the men of Cambridgeshire, 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

Coming Home is Cambridge's war memorial, a bronze soldier by Robert Tait McKenzie striding away from the railway station towards the city. Unveiled in 1922, it commemorates men of Cambridge, the university, Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely who served in the First World War; later words include the Second World War. Its unusual returning figure stresses survival and homecoming while the inscription also holds the dead in public memory.

Why it was made

Cambridge needed a shared memorial after the First World War for the city, university and surrounding county. The chosen position near the station recalled the route by which troops departed and those who survived returned.

People and events

Canadian sculptor and doctor Robert Tait McKenzie modelled a purposeful young soldier in service dress, carrying his helmet and looking towards Cambridge. The memorial was unveiled in 1922 and later extended to remember service in the Second World War.

How it worked

Its direction gives the sculpture its name and meaning: the soldier is not charging into battle but walking home. Public inscriptions broaden the individual figure into a tribute to thousands who served and to those who did not return.

What remains

The bronze figure, richly carved limestone base and inscriptions survive beside Hills Road, though road and station changes have altered their surroundings. The memorial is protected as a listed structure and remains a place for remembrance.

Why it mattered

Coming Home gives Cambridge a less usual image of war memory, centred on the journey back into ordinary life. Its station-side position binds the national conflicts to a route that local servicemen and their families actually used.