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 Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

officer and

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, 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 ...

. She was the mother of the American war hero

Douglas Albert Munro Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) was a United States Coast Guard, United States coast guardsman who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for an act of "extraordinary heroism" during World War II. He i ...

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 Victori ...

Early life

Munro was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

. 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 cit ...

, 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 559 at the 2020 census. History In 1909, the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound Railway chose Cle Elum as a division point between the Coast and Columb ...

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 SPARS was the authorized nickname for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve. The nickname was derived from the USCG's motto, "—"Always Ready" (''SPAR''). The Women's Reserve was established by law in November 1942 during Wor ...

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 the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. 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 Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

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 the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

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 2,157 at the 2020 census. About by car from Seattle, Cle Elum is a popular area for camping and outdoor activities. It is also unofficially considered ...

. 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