Page 10 - North Haven Magazine Issue 29 Summer 2023

On the Frontlines: by Marisa Hexter
On the Frontlines:

North Haven Stories in World War I

In the last issue of the magazine, we focused on the story of a Civil War soldier from North Haven. The next major war we saw was 50 years
later, The Great War. While the war primarily involved countries situated in Europe, the United States entered the scene in 1917. After de-
claring war on Germany, men across the country volunteered themselves for the fight. North Haven was no exception. Over 100 men from
the town served as members of the United States military; many were barely 18 years old. Women also found their part in the war as many
became nurses to care for the wounded. In all of this, two North Haven lives stick out, a fallen soldier named William Murray and a lone
nurse, Grace Mudge, both with sad endings.
illiam John Murray was born Septem- and lost their lives in previous wars, as they 1920, Louis died in a Boston hospital. Grace
Wber 7, 1897 in Brockways, New York all protected their country with “valor and and Louis had only been married for five
to William John Murray and Mary Elizabeth bravery”. months. His funeral was held in North Ha-
Manning. He was the oldest of six children ven, where many people came to mourn the
with three brothers: Arthur, Howard, and Grace Elizabeth loss of the young man. The cause of his death
Alfred and two sisters: Gertrude and Viola. Mudge was born was war-related, something that many vet-
William moved to North Haven when he on November erans would face in the years following the
was very young and proceeded to be edu- 10, 1897 to Dr. war. Louis had a mixture of shell shock and
cated at the local schools where he showed Cushing Mudge, the lasting effects of mustard gas and after
a great interest in the building of the town’s a dentist, and unsuccessful brain surgery, he passed away.
Civil War memorial. When he left school, he Harriet Johnson
became a laborer, but not long after, he en- Allen in Massa-
listed in the military and served on the Mex- chusetts. She was
ican border. On June 20, 1917 at the age of the oldest of four
20, William volunteered himself for the war siblings and had
in Europe. He became part of the 26th Divi- three brothers,
sion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, Company L, Harold, Cushing
where he took his place as a cook. and Robert. Her Grace Mudge
brother, Harold,
also fought in the war and enlisted at 17.
Whether it was a reaction from her brother
joining the war or a call to duty, Grace en-
rolled in the U.S. Student Nurse Reserve in
New Haven. She was one of eight women
from the area, but the only one from North
Haven. She was 19 to 20 years old at this
time.
Sadly, traces of Grace’s life seem to end here,
While not much is known about her time at the age of 23. Widowed before married
as a nurse, Grace’s life is still very much im- life could truly begin and after treating the
portant to the town’s involvement in the war. wounded soldiers from chemical and physi-
World War I saw women joining the military cal warfare, Grace had seen and experienced
as nurses for the first time in history. Grace her fair share of tragedy. It is possible she
thus became the first North Haven woman stayed in Massachusetts after her husband’s
William John Murray to join the military. During this time, wom- funeral and went back to school to be a
en were still very busy on the home front, nurse, as a small record from the archives
from raising money for war bonds to knit- suggests, but the rest of Grace’s life is truly
A little over a year later, while Murray was ting items that were sent abroad for Amer- a mystery.
completing his duties at the camp, an ar- ican soldiers.
tillery shell burst near him and two other Two people. One war. One town. Both lives
soldiers. All were wounded. On the way to changed before the age of 25. William Mur-
the nearby hospital that same day, October ray’s legacy can still be found in North Hav-
3, 1918, at 3 pm, William Murray was pro- en, as he was immortalized by the American
nounced dead. He turned 21 less than a Legion in 1920 because he was the only sol-
month before. dier to die at war. Later, the Legion renamed
itself Murray-Reynolds to pay respect to
North Haven did not forget about William Edgar Reynolds, who died of the lasting ef-
at all. After the war, there was a memorial fects of chemical warfare similar to Grace’s
held in his honor, led by town historian Shel- After the war ended, Grace returned to husband. To this day the Murray-Reynolds
don Thorpe, who wrote a speech about Mur- North Haven to live with her family again. Post still greatly serves North Haven. The
ray. While William was originally buried in Not long after, she met war veteran Louis two young North Haven residents heard
France after his death with full military hon- A. Johnson of Waltham, Massachusetts. The the call to join the fight in 1917 as America
ors, his body was eventually brought back two wed in June of 1920 in North Haven be- entered World War I. They not only served
to North Haven. At the end of his speech, fore spending most of their time in Massa- their country and their company, but they
Thorpe states Murray deserved the same chusetts. Unfortunately, the newlyweds soon also served the town of North Haven. And
honors as the North Haven men who fought faced their own tragedy. On November 1, for that, we thank them.

North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2023
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