Post History
Frederick “Fritz” Allen MacKenzie enlisted in the US Army on April 6th, 1917 at the age of 21. He served in the 107th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Division, New York National Guard. Frederick was assigned to a machine gun company. He was killed in action on September 28th, 1918 during the Somme offensive, part of the allies final assault on the German defenses at the famed Hindenburg line. The 27th was part of a combined force of British, Australian, and American troops under British command. He was buried in the American Military Cemetery in Bony France, where his grave remains to this day.
His and the deaths of tens of thousands of other allied soldiers were not in vain. The offensive succeeded, brilliantly in their sector. By October 10th 1918 the Hindenburg Line had been breached. The day after he was killed the German Imperial commander informed Kaiser Wilhelm II that the front was no longer tenable and asked for the authority to negotiate a ceasefire. The ceasefire was achieved on November 11th, 1918, now known in the US as Veterans day.
The post was chartered on November 8th, 1920 with Frederick’s brother Kenneth, also a WW I veteran, as its first commander. Kenneth went on to serve this nation in WW II. In 2011 we welcomed Frederick’s nephew as a member of F.A. MacKenzie Post 165.
This is a photo of Frederick and his unit.
Affiliated Organizations
The Women's Auxiliary of American Legion Post 165. The Legion has every reason to be proud of it's Auxiliary. Auxiliary members are always anxious and willing to co-operate in every Legion activity.
Patriotic Days
MEMORIAL DAY has always been an outstanding occasion in this community. In addition to memorial events throughout the Bayonne community, the goal of every Veteran to it's last man is to keep MEMORIAL DAY sacred to the memory of our war dead of all of the wars of the country; and all graves are decorated on this National Holiday.
ARMISTICE DAY, now called VETERANS' DAY, originally marked the end of fighting in World War I. It is an important holiday on the calendar of Legionnaires everywhere and in the hearts of all Veterans. Annually the Post sponsored the Armistice Day Parade. An important tradition was established when the Post led in the memorial exercises at 11 o'clock on the morning of November 11, marking the exact hour of the cessation of hostility on the war fronts.
Registration Of Graves
Since it's inception the American Legion has been a leader in this community in the area of graves registration; which has been incorporated by all the American Legion Posts in Hudson County. Grave Registration enables all interested parties to locate the site of the grave of each Veteran.
Join Us and Keep this History Alive