| Merle Grimes | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Southern Victory POD: September 10, 1862 | |
| Appearance(s): | Blood and Iron through In at the Death |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | United States |
| Date of Birth: | c. 1894 |
| Occupation: | Soldier, Government Employee |
| Spouse: | Unnamed late wife; Edna Semphroch |
| Children: | Armstrong, Annie |
| Relatives: | Caleb (brother) |
| Professional Affiliations: | Reconstruction Authority |
| Military Branch: | United States Army (Great War) |
Merle Grimes (b. c. 1894) was a US soldier during the Great War. He was wounded in the leg and walked with a cane for the rest of his life.
After the war, he settled in Washington, DC, where he married Edna Semphroch. The couple had two children, Armstrong and Annie. Merle's relationship with his son was somewhat antagonistic, as he saw Armstrong as a slacker, while the boy thought his father made too much of his war wound. When Armstrong was conscripted into the army, Merle congratulated him with the comment that the army would make a man of him; Armstrong thought that it was an honor he could do without.
During the Second Great War, Merle frequently wrote to his son at the front. When Armstrong was wounded in Canada in 1943, Merle and Edna visited him in a military hospital, and father and son were finally able to share a meaningful bond.
Grimes was one of only two men to earn the respect and affection of his mother-in-law, Nellie Semphroch; her time as a prostitute left her with contempt for the male half of the human race.
