Buffham Searcher - JLB

1805 Olive Street, Fresno California c1907
Jay Lee with girls (sisters?)

Jay Lee Buffham's whereabouts was unknown to me until a year before his death. Unfortunately I never met him. I did meet his last wife (June Snow) and through her eyes I discovered my mother's father and the sort of man he was.

My mother's father never had any other children and so he was never a father nor a grandfather in the true sense, and his last wife said that he would have been so happy to have known us, and shared in our lives.
"Jay was a very intelligent, intellectual man, always studying, and reading, he had an amazing memory, very gifted with words," and enjoyed the pleasures of outdoors. Jay Married June Verdell Snow on September 13, 1933 when she was 15 years old, and he was 34! She may have been his fourth "wife" and that's an interesting aspect of Jay's personality.

Jay Lee Buffham was born in Rio Vardie River, Arizona November 25, 1899.

Military records show that he was enlisted into the U.S. Army October 16, 1916 at Vancouver Barracks, Washington and assigned to Company D, 13th Infantry, Fort Mills, Manilla, Philippine Islands, and was there from January 1 to July 15, 1917. He had the above image struck February 11, 1917 with his friend. He stood 5'5" and had lied about his age, then he got a slight case of ptomaine poisoning, was sent home and discharged August 14, 1917 at Fort McDowell, California, for "fraudulent enlistment."

It didn't take him long to head for Canada and Camp Fort Edward, Nova Scotia, where he joined the Canadian Army. This image above was taken June 30, 1918. The uniform is general service issue.

In three or four months he was assigned to the British Forces as part of the 17th (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers September 15, 1918. Most likely the Service Corps by the shoulder braid.

By late 1918 he was in the Tank Corps. (further details here are being looked into) He went to Russia after the war to assist the "White" Russians in operating their own tanks.