Buffalo soldier ballplayer?
 

I just picked up this old snapshot of an African-American ballplayer. His jersey would seem to indicate that he was a member of the 10th Cavalry, the segregated "Buffalo Soldier" regiment that was created after the Civil War and existed until sometime during World War II. I'm guessing it's from the 1930s. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated ...

The barracks behind the ballplayer look quite a bit like Camp Lockett, California, which the 10th was assigned to in 1942, so maybe ca. 1942-44. I'm sure more can be found on this gentleman Thomas "Tommie" E. Here's a link to comparable images.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sold...ml%3B600%3B482

Great Photo!

Thanks, that's a great tip. I agree there's a striking similarity between the barracks in the my photo and those at Camp Lockett. The uniform could be from the early 1940s ...

On October 2, 1943 the 10th cavalry regiment of Camp Lockett attacked a 10,000 acre fire in Cleveland National Forest in southern California. Though the inferno was in rough terrain, the 10th was ordered to confront the flames in Hauser Canyon. The Santa Ana winds conflagration claimed 11 lives and injured 77 soldiers of the 10th in one of the most costly wildfires to firemen in US history.

Unknown if Tommie E. was amongst these men. Newspaperarchives only lists the dead, not the injured. The remaining elements of 10th and 28th combined to form the 4th Cavalry Brigade in 1944. They were deactivated March 9, 1944 apparently off the coast of North Africa. Many men from these units were repositioned in Italy as the 92nd Brigade in Italy.

No definitive Thomas "Tommie" E.'s in any of the 10th,4th, or 92nd rosters yet. Difficult to search by computer as when one searches Tommie WW2 it usually references British soldiers, AKA Tommies. This is going to more difficult than originally anticipated but give me a week Chris. :D:D

Sources: 'Buffalo Soldiers in California" by Roy Cook, Hauser Canyon Fire Oversight Committee 2004 (why did this take 60 years?)

Wow Ty, I appreciate the effort. I can't wait to hear about what you come up with. I grew up not far from the Santa Ana mountains in Orange County, so I know all about the Santa Ana winds and how wildfires can turn deadly when they're blowing. I'll try some Google searches as well. Thanks again ...

Chris, Had a bit of time this afternoon to search a few things. Two promising leads. Here's a link to the San Diego Union Tribune Archives. You can search the site but are unable to read the entire articles without paying $9.95 to download 50 articles. But the first search for 10th Cavalry looks like a baseball game "...when the 57th battalion from Camp Callon opposes the 2nd squadron, 10th cavalry, from Camp Lockett." November 4, 1942.

The link will only take you to the archives, click on "new search", under subject, "10th cavalry", and limit years "1942 - 1943"; the other 14 hits seem to be about horse shows or parades in which the 10th participated. Other searches such as Camp Lockett baseball etc. will probably be fruitful.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...ist&p_topdoc=1

The East County Californian may also have some articles. The San Diego Public Library seems to be the only one in the area with pre-1960 microfiche of the San Diego UT. The reference desk phone number at SDPL is (619) 236-5800, and they may just do a subject search for free.

I was not aware that most musters/rosters from WW2 had been destroyed, but here was a crude list of soldiers in the 92nd infantry. As previously mentioned many of the remaining elements of the 10th and 28th eventually joined the 92nd in 1944. Unfortunately, once again no Tommie E., but I wanted to keep this link as it may be helpful in the future. It was a fun afternoon, and got my mind off a few things. Hope this is helpful, have a Happy New Year.

http://www.indianamilitary.org/92nd/...OHO-ROSTER.htm

Thanks again Ty. I really appreciate your efforts. I look for to exploring the links you posted ...