Clara Ayres (September 16, 1880 – May 17, 1917) was an American nurse who joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Ayres and Helen Burnett Wood were the first two women to be killed while serving in the United States military, following an explosion on USS ''Mongolia'' on May 17, 1917.

Career

Clara Edith Work (later Ayres) was born on September 16, 1880, in

Venice Township, Seneca County, Ohio Venice Township is one of the fifteen townships of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census found 1,758 people in the township, 859 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township. Geography Located in the southeastern c ...

. She was the eldest of three children of James and Mary Work. She was brought up in Attica within the Township. On September 30, 1903, she married grocery store owner Wayland D. Ayres, who died three years later from

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

from a workplace injury. She attempted to run the store herself, but was eventually employed as a clerk at a dry foods store nearby. In 1910, she travelled to Chicago to study nursing at the school there. She graduated in 1913, and worked until 1917 as an instructor at the

Cook County Hospital The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Cook County Health and Hospital System, along with Provident Hospital of Cook County and ...

. That year she responded to the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

appeal for trained nurses for the

. She was accepted, and was transferred on board the USS ''Mongolia'' to travel to France. While sailing the crew underwent a firing practice. The medical staff being transferred watched from near one of the guns, when it exploded, killing Ayres and fellow nurse Helen Burnett Wood. The ship transferred their bodies back to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The two were the first women to be killed while serving in the United States military. Following a service by the Red Cross on May 23, Ayres' body was taken back to Ohio where she was buried with military honors on May 26. A bronze plaque honoring her was placed at the Chicago Training School for Nurses. The deaths made national news, and the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

was accused in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

of covering up how the women were killed. A historical marker was placed near her grave in 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayres, Clara 1880 births 1917 deaths American nurses American women nurses Female nurses in World War I People from Seneca County, Ohio