American Legion, PATRICK HENRY POST NO. 152 — 1924

Phenix, Virginia

American Legion, 1924

Patrick Henry Post No. 152 was formed May, 1923, with eighteen members on the original charter. This is a small but active Post, cooperating in community welfare work and aid of veterans, and their families.

The Past now has a membership of twenty-seven men meeting once a month in a regularly appointed Past club room, which is being fitted up with all the necessary conveniences for the comfort of its members.

Past Adjutant Ray A. Moore was sent as delegate to the Fredericksburg convention, Leo H. Hardy as alternate. The delegate appeared before the executive committee in matters of interest to the Post. He was member of an important committee and took an active part in the election of the present State Commander, and the selection of Danville as the meeting place for the 1924 convention.

Patrick Henry Post won the third prize in the State drive for paid-up membership for the year 1924, having 100 per cent of its membership renewing and paying in full their membership dues. It was one of the fourteen Posts in the State getting all its 1924 members paid up in time.

During the drive for the passage of the Adjusted Compensation Bill, the Post held a meeting in conjunction with the Farmers’ Local and the Roanoke Parent-Teachers’ Association, furnishing a speaker for the occasion, who addressed the meeting in behalf of the Adjusted Compensation Bill, and secured from the joint meeting a rising and enthusiastic vote in favor of the bill, which was signed and sent to our Senators and Congressmen then voting on the measure. Two other such meetings were held to the county.

Appropriate memorial services were held this year. After the public exercises, committees proceeded to decorate the graves of veterans, visiting two private and two public cemeteries. This was the first time such a thing had been attempted in this community, and while not every grave was located, it is the purpose of the Post to locate and mark the grave of every veteran buried in the section covered by our Post.

We regret to report the death of one of our most active members, Gillard Jackson Ramsey, who lost his life in, an attempt to save a drowning companion. His brother, Willie Ramsey, made the supreme sacrifice in France. The funeral of this buddie was held under the auspices of the Patrick Henry Post, assisted by members of the Charlotte Courthouse Post. He was laid to rest in Bethel Cemetery beside his brother. This reminds us of how we named our post. Four men in our community died in the service-Clifford Brightwell (brother of C. T. Brightwell), Willie Ramsey (brother of G. J. Ramsey), ________ Berkley, and ______ Marston. We could not name it far all of them so we chose a past illustrious disciple of what the Legion stands for who spent his last days and died in Charlotte County-Patrick Henry.

The officers for 1923 were as follows: Commander, I,. H. Hardy, Aspen, Va.; vicecommander, E. V. Tucker, Charlotte Courthouse, Va.; Post adjutant, Ray A. Moore, Phenix, Va.; chaplain, Alvan A. Mason, Phenix, Va.; treasurer Charles T. Brightwell, Charlotte Courthouse, Va.; sergeant-at-arms, John E. Mason Brookneal, Va.; historian, Alvin G. Pettit, Clarkton, Va.; service officer, Wilbur Seckman, Phenix, Va.

The officers for 1924 were as follows: Commander, Wilbur Seckman, Phenix, Va.; service officer, W. H. Witt, Phenix, Va.

With the above exceptions, the same officers were re-elected.

A. G. PETTIT,
Post Historian.