Ralph Robertson Hartley was born on February 17, 1921, in Bridgewater, Aroostook County, Main. He was the son of Samuel Jesse Hartley and Clara Belle Gardiner Hartley. He was married to Barbara Sarah Taylor Landry.

Ralph resided in Aroostook County, Maine, prior to the war. He served as a First Lieutenant and Pilot on the P-47D #42-29068, U.S. Army Air Corps, during World War II.

On February 27, 1945, 1Lt Hartley took off with other P-47s from Mangaldan, Philippines, on a fighter sweep off Formosa (Taiwan). He was last seen being attacked by Japanese aircraft near Formosa and is believed to have been shot down by them.

It was later discovered that 1Lt Hartley became a POW of the Japanese and was brought to the Taipei Prison, Taipei City, Taiwan. While a POW in Taipei, a mock trial was held. 1Lt Hartley, along with 13 other American servicemen, were accused of being "war criminals" by the Japanese Army, sentenced to death, and executed.

1Lt Hartley was cremated, and his ashes spread over the Pacific Ocean. He has a cenotaph located in the Smith Cemetery in Bridgewater, Maine.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com