| Gayle Mason | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | 1632 Grantville Gazette XIII Grantville Gazette XIV Grantville Gazette XX 1633 1634: The Baltic War 1635: A Parcel of Rogues |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | United States of Europe (born in the United States of America) |
| Religion: | Disciples of Christ |
| Date of Birth: | 1968 |
| Occupation: | Miner, Soldier, Electrician, Radio tech |
| Spouse: | Bob Mitchell (divorced), Oliver Cromwell (m. 1635) |
| Relatives: | Derrick L. Mason (nephew), Susan Mason McCarthy (sister), Arnold Mason (brother) |
| Affiliations: | UMWA, New United States Army |
| Created by: | Eric Flint |
Gayle Mason was a Grantville miner and a soldier after the Ring of Fire. As a woman, Mason faced some hostility when she initially went to work in the mine. After Mike Stearns became president of the UMWA, that changed. Likewise, Mason ran into some resistance to the idea of women serving in Grantville's nascient military when the town was shifted back in time. The de facto Chief of Staff, Frank Jackson, was particularly vocal against having women in the army. He was ultimately overruled, but he still remained against the idea. Mason passed Jackson's rigorous physical tests with ease. Mason first saw combat at the Battle of Jena.
Mason was one of Grantville's three "Amateur Extra class" ham radio operators. As such, she helped the Voice of America get on the air, and helped design the radio equipment that was used by Grantville's diplomatic missions to the Netherlands and England. She was assigned to the mission to England, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. While there, she was the Grantville delegation's radio contact with Oliver Cromwell, and the two became interested in one another.
After the USE embassy's escape from the Tower, Gayle was part of the group heading north to pick up Cromwell's remaining children. She and Cromwell solidified their relationship as a couple during the journey and would later get married in Scotland. She also arranged for Cromwell's surviving children to stay with her brother's family in Grantville.