At one time in Delmar, Delaware there were two American Legion
Posts. The better known one was the Glenn
Rayne Post #15 at 104 North Second Street.
The Glenn Rayne post received it’s charter from the Delaware department
of the American Legion on March 20th, 1935. It was named after Glenn Rayne who originally
was born in Berlin Maryland but was living in Delmar Maryland when he enlisted
in the Army. He had the misfortune to be
sent to Camp Mead Maryland where he contracted Broncho Pneumonia and died on October
1 1918, just four weeks after being married.
The other American Legion post was Walker-Cutler Post #42. Walker-Cutler Post #42 was formed in
1960. It was considered the Black Delmar
American Legion and the Glenn Rayne Post 15 was considered the White American Legion. Even in 1960 I do not believe the American
Legion had a policy on segregation.
Since these veteran organizations were mainly social organizations they
were formed with membership who felt comfortable with one another in a social
setting.
Little information is known about the Walker-Cutler Post #42. It has been only recently I have acquired a
few more bits of information about it that would allow some type of blog post
to be made. Part of the lack of
information is because the post had a short life span (five years). In summary Walker-Cutler Post 42 had a history that went from; 1960 filed for temporary
application for Post of the American Legion, In 1961 granted permanent charter
for post, in 1965 the charter was cancelled.
In 1960 the application for a Post in Delmar Delaware of the
American Legion was filed. The Post was
called Walker-Cutler Post 42. Who Walker
– Cutler were is not known at present.
The American Legion requires that a post not be named after anyone
living so these two people we know had died before 1960. No doubt they were men who at one time were in
the military and from the local area. The
post 42 part, I am sure was assigned by the Delaware department of the American
Legion.
In this initial application fifteen names are given as the
minimum membership number. Henry R. West
gave his address of RD#1, Delmar, Md as the address to use to send the charter
to. The people listed as members had to
subscribe to the American legion requirement of the time; Article IV, Section
1. “Any person shall be eligible for membership in the American Legion who was
a member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Coast Guard, or Air Force of the
United States and assigned to active duty at some time during either of the following
periods. April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918; December 7, 1941 to September 2,
1945; June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953;..”
Those initial members were; Wilton J. Wailes, Herbert J.
Smith, Rothert C. Blunt, Othar L. Roberts, Randolph G. Reed, Edward Marshall,
William Howard Hearn, Emerson C. Holloway, Randolph A. Hotten, Samuel Bynum,
Sr., William S. Carter, William L. Shreaves, Henry Roosevel West, James Catha
Gunter, and Clifton Moore.
In 1961 Post 42 applied for a Permanent Charter. In the application it said the post had 22 paid-up members and it had a possible 50
ex-service members to draw from. The
address given was #12 Hitchens Street(West Grove St today) Delmar Delaware, which it stated was rented
but they had raised $150 for a building fund.
It also stated “Since its organization, the post has held a dance and a
raffle. Proceeds (Net) have amounted to
about $400.00. Post also had Easter egg hunt, sponsored Americanism program and
flag etiquette in local elementary school.
Post also participated in “Back to GOD Movement” in local church on March
12, 1961. “ The post officers were; Commander – Henry R. West, Vice-Commander – Clifton Moore, Adjutant- Rothert C. Blunt, Finance Officer – Grayson E. Kenney, Chaplin – Samuel Bynum, Sr, Sergeant-at-Arms – Edward Marshall, Historian – William S. Carter, and Service Officer – Emerson C. Holloway.
In May of 1961, The post gave notice in the local paper (Bi-State Weekly) that it intended to file for a license to sell alcoholic liquor in its club to members only. It also mentioned the club house was a house at Park Street across from the railroad roundhouse.
By 1965 the Department of Delaware American Legion had cancelled Post 42’s charter. It is not known why the charter was cancelled.
So there is a little bit of Delmar History. There is still a great deal to learn about
Walker-Cutler Post 42 in Delmar Delaware but now we have the beginning for
accumulating addition information.
Altho I have known about this American Legion post for a few
years I had not been able to find any definite information about it. I finally
contacted Richard J. Santos Adjutant Department of Delaware, American Legion
who did not have any information on Post 42, but instead of blowing me off as
others have done in the past, he contacted Howard Trace and Lynda Lydick of the
American Legion who looked into their archives and found the initial application
for charter and the application for permanent charter and scanned them for me. Thank You Richard Santos, Howard Trace and
Lynda Lydick. 