Ray Howard Mosher

Alumni Directory › World War II Honor Roll › Raynard Howard Mosher

Raynard Howard Mosher, Moser Studio, Rochester, NY

Ray Howard Mosher

Born Raynard Howard Mosher

U.S. Army • Gold Star

Pre-War:	Taylor Instrument Companies (Ames St. Plant)
Residence:	Rochester, Monroe Co., NY
Born:	April 25, 1911
Branch:	United States Army
Rank:	First Lieutenant (1st Lt.)
Service ID:	O-333657
Unit:	Co. G, 108th Inf. Regt., 40th Infantry Division
Died:	July 18, 1942 (Oahu, Hawaii)
Burial:	Allegany Cemetery, Allegany, NY
Honors:	Taylor WWII Gold Star Memorial Citation

Ray Howard Mosher (1911–1942)

Taylor Instrument employee and U.S. Army First Lieutenant who gave his life in World War II.

Early Life & Career at Taylor Instrument

Ray Howard Mosher was born on April 25, 1911. As a young man, he lived and worked in Rochester, New York, where he was employed at the main Ames Street manufacturing complex of the Taylor Instrument Companies prior to entering active military service for World War II.

Military Service & The 108th Infantry Regiment

Mosher entered the United States Army, earning an officer's commission as a First Lieutenant (Service Serial No. O-333657).

He was assigned to Company G, 108th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 40th Infantry Division. The 108th Infantry Regiment was historically rooted in the Western New York National Guard, drawing many of its officers and enlisted soldiers directly from Rochester, Buffalo, and neighboring upstate counties.

Deployment to Hawaii & Supreme Sacrifice

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 108th Infantry Regiment was mobilized for overseas duty in the Pacific Theater. In early 1942, the regiment was deployed to the Hawaiian Islands, taking up defensive garrison positions and staging rigorous combat training in preparation for Pacific island operations.

While stationed in the Hawaiian Islands, 1st Lt. Mosher was involved in a fatal vehicle accident on July 18, 1942, and succumbed to his injuries that same day.

Remembrance & Final Resting Place

Following the conclusion of World War II, Lieutenant Mosher's remains were repatriated to Western New York. He is permanently laid to rest in Allegany Cemetery in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York.

At the July 28, 1943 Army-Navy “E” Production Award ceremony in Rochester, the Taylor Instrument Companies dedicated a place of highest honor to Lieutenant Mosher, commemorating him alongside E. Doty and W. D. Sells as one of three plant employees who made the supreme sacrifice in military service.

Primary Archival Sources:

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), U.S. World War II Military Casualty Records (1st Lt. Ray H. Mosher, O-333657; 108th Infantry Regiment; DOW/FOD July 18, 1942).
• American Battle Monuments Commission / U.S. National Cemetery Administration, Graves Registration records (Allegany Cemetery, Allegany, NY).
• Rochester Public Library, Local History & Genealogy Division, World War II Master Card File Index (Monroe County service index).
• Taylor Instrument Companies, Army-Navy “E” Award Presentation Program, July 28, 1943, Page 11 (“Let us pause in our celebration tonight... Three have already made the supreme sacrifice • ★ R. H. Mosher”).