1920's era Culver Military Academy wings & insignia

[CliffP]

An interesting trio of aviation insignia used by the Culver Military Academy back in the 1920s

Please note that at one time Culver Military Academy was ranked second only to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

 

 

Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana, established its aviation program shortly after World War 1 when its commandant, Brig. Gen. Leigh R. Gignilliat, purchased five Curtiss N-9 float planes in 1919.

 

Commanding the program, and its chief flight instructor, was Lt. Leslie Anderson Walker, NA 718, a former instructor pilot at the Naval Training Center at Great Lakes,IL.

 

The program trained as many as 34 student pilots a year up through the end of the 1923-1924 school year.

 

The epaulet insignia or DI's are backmarked "Robbins Co. Attleboro"

 

The wing badge or collar insignia is backmarked "Dyer Ind Pls"

 

If you have any other information about this insignia please let me know.

 

Kind regards,

 

Cliff

[hawk3370]

An interesting trio of aviation insignia used by the Culver Military Academy back in the 1920s

Please note that at one time Culver Military Academy was ranked second only to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

 

 

Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana, established its aviation program shortly after World War 1 when its commandant, Brig. Gen. Leigh R. Gignilliat, purchased five Curtiss N-9 float planes in 1919.

 

Commanding the program, and its chief flight instructor, was Lt. Leslie Anderson Walker, NA 718, a former instructor pilot at the Naval Training Center at Great Lakes,IL.

 

The program trained as many as 34 student pilots a year up through the end of the 1923-1924 school year.

 

The epaulet insignia or DI's are backmarked "Robbins Co. Attleboro"

 

The wing badge or collar insignia is backmarked "Dyer Ind Pls"

 

If you have any other information about this insignia please let me know.

 

Kind regards,

 

Cliff

 

Cliff,

You never fail to amaze me with the unique items you turn up. I suspect I won't see another set of these in my life time. Thanks for sharing, very interesting.

Terry

[John Cooper]

Yet again posting hens teeth... Terry I agree with you SIR!

[B-17Guy]

Very nice Cliff!

I certainly have never seen those before, very nice find.

 

John

[will m.]

I really like the Culver badges.......!!! Wonder how many academies and schools had this type od badging made??

[BEAST]

Hi Cliff, I just bought another Indiana related badge that is stamped Dyer. Your post helped figure out which jeweler made these. I believe these came from the Charles B. Dyer & Company which was located in Indianapolis. Dyer was in business from the 1890s through the 1990s going through a couple of name changes with the latest being C.B.Dyer and Ratliff Company. During WWI, he was given permission to have a store at Fort Benjamin Harrison and was commission to make bronze medals for the post's events.

 

An article from a 1950s Indianapolis newspaper.

 

"Wherever trophies are presented in Indiana, the name of Charles B. Dyer is known. Charles B. Dyer & Co., holding the distinguished record of occupying its present site at 234 Massachusetts Avenue since 1904, also is one of the outstanding makers of costume jewelry', high school and college pins, rings and similar articles. It was Dyer craftsmen who designed and made the first trophy for the Speedway race on order from Carl Fisher, a famed founder of the 500-mile classic. Dyer also created the big Marott. trophy that is displayed in the Columbia Club. Charles Dyer, in 1910, conducted courses in the art of handcraft jewelry making, another one of the features that has made the organization unusual in its operation."