New exhibition opens at cemetery for US military

A revamped visitor centre to give young people a "more immersive experience" has been unveiled at a World War Two cemetery.

Updates to the exhibition at the Cambridge American Cemetery (CAC) were opened as part of a ceremony marking Memorial Day, held on the last Monday of May in the United States.

John Freeman, from the American Battle Monuments Commission, said it was "deeply important" those who died in WW2 were remembered as "real people" and were not "just a footnote in the history books".

About 4,000 US service personnel are buried at the cemetery between Coton and Madingley.

The visitor centre opened in 2014. A dedicated children's area was added during the redesign, as well as digital content designed for "different learning styles and senses".

An exhibition examines Britain's role in the US war effort through "personal stories and human connections".

Freeman said those buried at CAC – as well as more than 5,000 people whose names are inscribed on the Cambridge Wall of the Missing – deserved to be remembered.

"When your fellow citizens give their lives for your country, I think you owe them a great deal of respect and honour," he said.

"These are mostly very young men and women who gave up their lives and their futures. We owe them a very profound sense of thanks."

Peter Searle, 81, from March, whose father is buried at the cemetery, said it was "only fair that you should come and pay your respects" after thousands had "sacrificed their lives".

He said he had got "a bit choked up".

"Knowing full well that you're going out and you may not come back," he added.

Searle's father, Robert Burry, died aged 21 on 15 December 1944 - just weeks before his son was born.

Burry was stationed at Chelveston in Northamptonshire. He was killed when his plane hit an aerial mast in Daventry and lost a wing.

Searle was unaware he had American relatives until 1995, he said. Since then, he had paid his respects to his father and other fallen troops every Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the US, held to mourn all of those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

CAC is one of two US military cemeteries in the UK, but it is the only one for service personnel from WW2.

It is open daily and free to visit.

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