George Nathaniel Wright was born in 1915 to Charles and Blanche Wright who then lived in Laurel Springs, Maryland.  George was one of 5 children: sister Yolan, and brothers: Bobby, Charles and Buster.

George was educated in Maryland.  He moved with his family to Elverson, Pennsylvania located near Morgantown.

George became a bus driver for Immaculata College, a Catholic all girls school on King Road in Frazer, and became a member of St. Agnes Church, located on the 200 block of West Market St. in West Chester.

George married Mary Stanley and they obtained and apartment at 212 West Gay St. in West Chester. Mary was employed as a Hostess at the Manson House Hotel, a large hotel located at the corner of Market and Church streets.

George obtained employment as a driver for the Short Line Bus Company  located on the south side of 200 block of West Market Street, where the New County Parking Garage is today.  The Short Line Bus Company owned a terminal and large maintenance facility at that location, which ironically, was just across the street from the County Prison.  George was known as “Nate” to his friends, and was popular among fellow workers, and held in high regard by his employers.

George was inducted into the Army in January 1943, along with hero Edward McCormick. Both George and Edward received basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and then were sent to the Shenango Replacement Center in Greenville, Pennsylvania (located in the northwest part of the state, near the Ohio border).  George was sent overseas to Italy in June, assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 168th Regiment, 34^th “Red Bull” Division in General Mark Clark’s Fifth Army.  Edward McCormick, of West Chester wrote to his family that he had met George in Italy.

Mary received a letter from George dated November 27^th telling her that the battle was “tough going”.

On Wednesday  December 22^nd Mary returned home from visiting a friend in Wilmington, Delaware, to receive the fateful telegram of her husband’s death.

Private First Class George Nathaniel Wright Died Of Wounds on December 4, 1943.

George was buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, with full military honors.

 

A memorial service, including celebration of High Mass, was held on Tuesday December 28th at St. Agnes Church.

A Daily Local News story in the November 28, 1944 paper gives an account of this George’s Battalion in this battle:

“The battalion is a unit of the 34^th “Red Bull” Division of Lieut. Gen. Mark W. Clark’s Fifth Army, now in the Gothic Line in northern Italy.

For four days and nights from November 29, 1943 to December 3, the battalion, after storming and seizing the vital objection, clung tenaciously to its position despite ferocious Nazi attacks, severe casualties, bitter weather, rugged terrain and almost insuperable supply, communication and evacuation problems. 

German attempts to regain the objective were preceded by intense artillery and mortar barrages and climaxed by bitter fire fights and hand – to – hand engagements.  At times, due to the shortage of ammunition, the embattled Yank infantrymen threw stones and ration cans at the assaulting Nazis.

The battalion’s stand forced the Germans to abandon their winter line.”

Hero Edward McCormick was Killed In Action 3 days earlier in the same area.

Other Heroes fought and died in this area of Italy: Hero William Taylor of West Chester on May 16^th, 1944, and Hero LeRoy Barnes of Downingtown, on September 19^th 1944.