Scenes of the 1941 bombing. Courtesy of the Cambridgeshire Collection S1941 2685

Cambridge at War

Cambridge at War explores how the city was shaped by the First and Second World Wars - from hospital city in 1914–18 to an international military hub in 1939–45.

Overview

The two world wars affected Cambridge in fundamentally different ways. During the First World War, the city was defined by care and recovery, as colleges and public buildings were turned into hospitals for wounded soldiers. By contrast, the Second World War brought Cambridge onto a more active war footing, with military forces, airfields, and civil defence shaping everyday life.

This theme highlights those differences while linking them through places that can still be visited and explored.

First World War: Cambridge as a Hospital City

The dominant story of Cambridge in the First World War is medical. The city became a vast network of hospitals treating casualties from the front. The most important site was the First Eastern General Hospital, one of the largest military hospitals in the country, while several colleges were adapted to receive and care for the wounded.

You can explore this history through entries such as:

• First Eastern General Hospital
• Strangeways Research Hospital

This shows how academic spaces were temporarily transformed into places of treatment and recovery. Unlike many towns, Cambridge saw little direct physical threat, and its wartime identity was shaped more by healing than by destruction.

Second World War: Cambridge on the War Footing

By the Second World War, Cambridge had become much more directly involved in the machinery of war. The surrounding countryside was filled with airfields, including RAF Duxford, which played a major role in Britain’s air defence. The region also hosted American forces, bringing an international military presence into Cambridgeshire.

Within the city, daily life was shaped by precautions and preparation. Blackout regulations, air raid shelters, and civil defence measures altered the appearance and rhythm of the streets. These aspects can be explored through entries such as:

• RAF Duxford
• Air raid shelters in Cambridge
• American forces in Cambridgeshire
• Spies

Although Cambridge was not heavily bombed, the sense of risk and readiness marked a clear contrast with the earlier war.

Home Front and Civilian Life

The experience of civilians also changed significantly between the two wars. In 1914–18, Cambridge’s home front was relatively quiet, centred on supporting hospitals and voluntary work. By 1939–45, the demands were far greater, with rationing, evacuation, and organised civil defence becoming part of everyday life.

This shift can be seen in entries such as:

• Evacuees and refugees in Cambridgeshire
• Women’s Land Army in Cambridgeshire

Together, these accounts show how wartime reached into ordinary homes and routines, especially during the Second World War.

Memory and Commemoration

Across Cambridge, memorials provide a lasting record of wartime loss. Many, such as those on Market Hill or within college chapels, were first created after the First World War and later extended to include those who died in the Second.

Key entries include:

• Station Road war memorial
• Parish war memorials

These sites connect the two conflicts, showing how remembrance in Cambridge evolved over the twentieth century.