Edith Thrower Munro (née Fairey; April 16, 1895 – November 17, 1983) was a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

officer and

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

. She was the mother of the American war hero Douglas Albert Munro and the sister of the Canadian parliamentarian

Francis Fairey Francis Thrower Fairey (November 11, 1887 – November 4, 1971) was a Canadian politician, who served as a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1953 to 1957. He was a teacher by career. He was first elected at the Victoria ...

Early life

Munro was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

; after the death of her father, her mother moved the family to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, to be closer to other relatives. Among her brothers was Francis Fairey, who would later command the Irish Fusiliers of Canada and represent

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, in the House of Commons of Canada. She married American expatriate James Munro in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, in 1914 and later had two children by him, Douglas Albert and Patricia Edith. In 1922, James Munro repatriated his family to the United States, ultimately settling in

South Cle Elum, Washington South Cle Elum is a town in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 532 at the 2010 census. History In 1909, the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound Railway chose Cle Elum as a division point between the Coast and Columbia ...

Military career

Edith Munro spent her life as a homemaker until the age of 48 when she joined the

United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

after her son, who had been serving as a signalman with the

, was killed in action in the Second Battle of the Matanikau in 1942. She decided by volunteering for military service she would be honoring his legacy. She eventually commanded the Coast Guard barracks in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. In May 1943, Munro was presented with her son's

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

in a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

ceremony. She was the sponsor of two of the three United States warships named after her son, the destroyer and the cutter . Munro did not want her son's remains to be interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

because she would be unable to attend to his grave. Instead they were buried at the Laurel Hill Memorial Park in

Cle Elum, Washington Cle Elum ( ) is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,872 at the 2010 census. About by car from Seattle, Cle Elum is a popular area for camping and outdoor activities. History Native history Cle Elum wa ...

. Following her own death, Munro was buried to the left of her son with military honors. The Munro graves have since been designated a State of Washington Historical Site and are the location of an annual observance on the anniversary of Douglas Munro's death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Edith 1895 births 1983 deaths British emigrants to Canada British emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Washington (state) People from Cle Elum, Washington Military personnel from Liverpool SPARS personnel United States Coast Guard officers 20th-century American people

Early life

Military career

See also

References

External links