|
|
Norfolk's first American Legion Post was organized September 15, 1919. Fifteen Norfolk veterans signed the application for a charter and elected R. Balwin Myers chairman. The following signed the charter application: Callis W. Pollard, Charles B. Borland, Whit P. Tunstall, Robert B. Tunstall, Cuthbert Tunstall, Harold E. Masengill, George Farant Todd, Thos. H. Willcox, Jr., Chas. G. Hunter, J. Carl Peck, Robert P. Beaman, R. Baldwin Myers, E. R. Willcox and Richard C. Henderson.
Announcement of the organization caused much interest among the returned service men and almost overnight the roster increased and within a week a thousand applications for membership had been received. Assisted by the War Camp Community Service and quartered in their building, the temporary organization struggled through the first month and started to arrange for permanent organization plans. The first meeting was a large one-about fifteen hundred men attending-and Dr. Thomas V. Williamson, formerly Commanding Officer of Ambulance Company 115th of the Twenty-ninth Division, was elected to command the Post. Thomas H. Gilliam, Jr., former captain of Field Artillery, was elected to the position of adjutant. Officers were opened in the Armory Building and by January 1st the organization had been completed and new offices opened in the Dickson Building. Adjutant Gilliam appointed Fairfield H. Hodges as assistant adjutant and placed him in charge of the Dickson Building office.
Immediate plans were made to assist the returned veterans in their many claims against the government and the office in a short time grew to such extent that it was necessary to open a new and larger one. Better equipped and on a better financial basis the Post rapidly became a real part of the community and its scope of work increased.
The first public appearance of the Post was on National Memorial Day, 1920, and for the first time Norfolk really observed the day. A parade and usual services in the cemeteries was held and members of the Post auxiliary sold poppies on the streets to add to the aid fund of the Post and for which there was a great demand. There was much distress among returned veterans at that time-many who were unemployed and others suffering from wounds and other disabilities incurred in the service needed immediate financial aid and the Post was called on to perform its first real service for its members and others. H. Lawrence Brooke was appointed the first chairman of the aid committee and the committee functioned both as an aid committee and employment committee. In January of 1920 a Veterans' Relief Ball, given under the auspices of the Post, netted over a thousand dollars for the relief fund.
During 1920-the first year of real activity-the Post engaged in the following special activities.
January 29, 1920, Relief Ball for needy veterans in Ghent Club.
February 22, 1920, distributed French War Certificates to the relatives of World War dead and entertained General John J. Pershing, who was present as the guest of the Post at the Memorial service held in the Billy Sunday Tabernacle. General Pershing was entertained at a dinner in his honor given at the Monticello Hotel, and the guests included many of the most prominent citizens of the community.
May 17, 1920, Americanization meeting in the. Armory.
November 11, 1920, the first real Armistice Day celebration since 1918 was observed in Norfolk. The Post and the City of Norfolk gave a banquet at Ghent Club, which was. attended by prominent citizens and hundreds of service men. The first Annual Victory Ball followed the banquet and has been held on November 11th each year since.
The Post during 1920 distributed for the government about two thousand Victory medals. It was necessary to employ special help to care for the detail, but later field clerks were assigned the Post by the War Department.
The Post sent a large delegation to the Second State Convention at Richmond, September 2nd, 3rd and 4th, and our invitation for them to meet in Norfolk was accepted for 1921. The Post entertained the 1921 convention which was a most successful one.
During 1922 it brought Dan Hollenga, the celebrated Machine Gun of the Legion, to Norfolk and held a mass meeting in the Armory. The largest crowd over in the Armory for such a meeting heard Hollenga make his Americanization speech.
On April 20, 1922, the Post entertained National Commander McNider and held a dinner in his honor.
Some high spots in the life of the Post put it among first place with other Posts of the State and United States, its accomplishments being local, State-wide and national. They are:
It has always maintained-at a heavy expense to its own membersan office with a fulltime adjutant in charge and assistants when necessary to aid all ex-service persons and their dependents with their problems.
During 1921 and 1922 when thousands of service men were out of work and the Legion all over the country were trying to place returned war veterans in jobs the Post placed 700 men at a cost of about $1.50 a man for office help.
The Post has always been represented at National conventions of the Legion since 1920, and at three had the largest delegation from a Post in the State delegation.
In 1922 it was the largest Post in the State of Virginia and one of its members, J. Mason Hodges, won second place in the National Membership drive, and first place in the State Membership drive. Arthur P. Burgess, of the Post, won second place in the State drive.
In 1922 the Post's baseball team won the State Legion Championship and at the National Track Meet held at New Orleans the same year two of its members won first places-Francis Byrd taking the individual track trophy and Charles R. McDermott won the heavyweight boxing and wrestling championships.
The Post has promoted dances, races, dramatic plays, boxing shows and moving picture plays and all have been successful.
Since organization the following have presided as commander:
1919-1920-1921-Thomas V. Williamson.
1922-Robert B. Tunstall.
1923-Walter E. Miller.
Ralston Flemming is the present commander.
There have only been two adjutants. Thomas H. Gilliam, Jr., was the first and he served from 1919 until 1920. Fairfield H. Hodges was elected to succeed him in 1920 and has held the office up until the present time.
