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Raymond
G. 'Ray' White |
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Raymond White |
Raymond G. "Ray" White was born on Nov. 4 or 6, 1889 at Hopwood, PA, the son of Robert M. and Mary Rebecca (Pope) White. He is one of several known cousins to have lost their lives serving our nation in World War I.
He said to be "well and favorably known," said a local newspaper.
As a young man, Ray was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and dark hair. He never married.
Circa 1917, Ray was employed as a laborer by the Uniontown Speedway Association at Hopwood. The track hosted many races involving prominent names in the automotive field -- among them Indianapolis 500 champion Ralph DePalma (in 1915) and Barney Oldfield (1917). The track was oval-shaped, made of boards and measured 1 1/8 miles in length.
On Oct. 4, 1917, as he neared his 28th birthday, Ray "left his home in Hopwood where he had spent his boyhood and early manhood," said a newspaper, and enlisted in the U.S. Army.
He underwent basic training at Camp Lee, VA, and then was transferred to Camp Green and Camp Merritt. Ray was ordered overseas and departed for France on April 5, 1918, having been assigned to Company I, 7th United States Infantry. He soon was sent to the front lines at Chateau Thierry.
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| Famed Uniontown Speedway at Hopwood, where Ray worked in 1917 |
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Ray's fading grave at Hopwood |
He only was in Europe for three months at the time of his death, and was age 28.
Tragically, in the horrific fighting on July 15, 1918, Ray was killed in action at Chateau Thierry, France, just nine months after his enlistment. No further details are known, but will be added here when learned.
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Belated obituary, 1921 |
Ray's remains initially were interred in France. Three years later, they were exhumbed and brought stateside from France on July 19, 1921, and two days later were laid to rest near several generations of his ancestors at Hopwood Cemetery.
His six pallbearers included Harold Lowe, Charles Schnatterly, nephew Paul Miner, Harry Shultze, Elsworth Hebb and Albert Ebbert, all of Hopwood. Local newspapers headlined the burial.
In 1919, when the book Uniontown's Part in the World War was published, Ray was pictured along with a brief profile of his military service. That same year, he was among a number of war casualties to be pictured in the Mid-Week Pictorial, a special newspaper section, distributed in parts of the United States.
Ray is honored today on a special page on our website, "Wartime Military Casualties."
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Above: soldiers inspect ruins of shelling at Chateau Thierry. Below: Ray pictured (lower right) among other war casualties in the Mid-Week Pictorial, 1919. |
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Copyright © 2000-2001, 2005, 2014, 2016 Mark A. Miner