Photographs of cemetery war dead on show for US Memorial Day

Visitors will see the faces of the war dead commemorated in an American cemetery during a special exhibition.

"Faces of Cambridge" will take place at the Cambridge American Cemetery (CAAC) until US Memorial Day on 30 May.

Photographs of personnel who lost their lives in World War Two will be placed by their graves - or by their name on the Walls of the Missing.

Supt Matthew P Brown, of the CAAC, said he hoped it would "keep the stories of these young men and women alive".

He said it would ensure the war dead are not forgotten as "we move from living memory to ancient memory".

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) at CAAC will display 4,670 images of the men and women who served and died during the 1939 to 1945 conflict.

As a way to honour them, Supt Brown said, the three-day exhibition will put "a face to a name, so the name on the wall of those that are missing, or the headstone, is not some isolated meaningless bit of information - but an actual person".

He added: "As we slip away from the Second World War in time, we're losing our emotional connection to that generation."

The cemetery, at Madingley near Cambridge, contains the remains of 3,811 service personnel who died on British soil.

A further 5,127 names are inscribed on the Walls of the Missing, including that of famous wartime band leader, Glenn Miller.

Among the thousands commemorated, the name of Lt Col Leon Vance stands out, Supt Brown said.

Lt Col Vance was awarded the US Medal of Honour, the equivalent of the Victoria Cross, in April 1944, for his bravery over France on a bombing raid.

His aircraft came under attack, the pilot was killed, but the craft was able to carry on flying, Supt Brown said.

"The crew was terrified and began to panic and started talking of bailing out," he said

Lt Col Vance, who was in the back operating the radar, was able to reach the cockpit and help land the plane on water, he added.

His actions save the remaining crew, it was said.

However, due to his injuries, Lt Col Vance had to return to the US for treatment, but during the evacuation home the aircraft disappeared over the Atlantic.

He was reported "missing in action".

In 1943, Emily Harper Rea from Madison, Indiana, volunteered to serve in the American Red Cross.

She was stationed in Bedford where she ran the Red Cross Club.

As events coordinator, Ms Rea's job was to organise morale-boosting concerts and dances for soldiers.

She hosted a Glenn Miller concert while he was stationed at nearby Milton Ernest Hall, and was known to personnel of the 306 Bomb Group, based nearby at Thurleigh, close to Bedford.

When the band leader was promoted from captain to major, she pinned his new rank on his uniform.

Ms Rea died in a plane crash on 14 April, 1945, just 19 days before the end of the war. She had been travelling to Washington to attend a memorial service for President Franklin D Roosevelt.

His captain bars were found in her purse, Supt Brown said.

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