Walter George Martin

The Army listed his name as Walter G. Martin but in every census record the family just called him George. His parents were William George Martin (1875-1964) and Catherine Ethel “Cassie” Ross (1877-1944), and both were from Ireland. They arrived in America in 1912 with three children, Joshua, Anna (nicknamed Nancy), and Ethel.

Once settled in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia, they had three who were citizens by birth: John, George, and Earl.  William was a watchman at a shipyard, tried his hand at roofing, then became an elevator operator.

In the 1930s the Martins moved to 2108 South 64th Street, just across the railroad tracks from Mount Moriah. Both girls got married in that decade, but in 1940 all four men (ages 20-38) were still single and living with their parents. 

John and George were both working for Lit Brothers Department Store as truck helpers in 1940. Both registered for the draft later that year, and both were drafted in the fall of 1942. John was in the Army Air Force and survived the war. George was in the 60th Infantry, landing on Utah Beach in France on June 11, five days after D-Day.

 A hospital record shows George was treated for artillery wounds to his elbow in July of 1944. He was released back to duty but just days later, gunfire hit his neck and he died in France on July 25. His family was notified on September 21, but their grief was compounded by the death of Cassie, the matriarch, on October 21.

 George’s body was returned home in 1948, accompanied by a funeral service on July 17 with military honors. The gravestone honors George, his mother and father, brother Joshua, and sister Ethel. The original burial in this plot was for Cassie’s sister, Annie Ross, on August 8, 1931.