Ernest Hartline
Staff Sergeant Ernest Hartline, 365th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group (Heavy)
Staff Sergeant Ernest V. Hartline was born in 1917 to George N. and Sally Hartline in Indiana. George Hartline was in the egg and butter business, working as an egg candler. The Hartlines were originally from Pennsylvania, and had moved to Indiana in the mid-1910s before returning east. By 1920 the family had settled in Camden, NJ, purchasing a home at 132 South 32nd Street. At the time of the April 1930 federal census, the family owned a home at 262 Merion Avenue in Haddonfield, NJ. By 1933 they had moved back to Camden, and Ernest Hartline graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. His family was then living at 347 South 27th Street.
Ernest Hartline was drafted in 1941. After qualifying for flight duty, he completed his pre-flight training at San Antonio, TX, in December of 1942, along with another Camden resident, Jacob Attone. He underwent further training as a radioman and gunner. Before going overseas, he had married; he and his wife Ruth had a son, Douglas Hartline, born in April of 1944. He served with the 365th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group, Heavy.
Staff Sergeant Hartline had already been awarded the Air Medal when he was killed in action on August 8, 1944. He was 27 years old. His death was reported in the August 28th edition of the Camden Courier-Post. Ernest V. and Ruth Hartline had lived at 611 North 6th Street in Camden, NJ. Besides his wife and son, he was survived by his father and siblings. He was awarded the Purple Heart. He is buried at Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England, at Plot E, Row 4, Grave 17.
Mrs. Ruth Hartline became a charter member of the Camden County Chapter of the Gold Star Wives of World War II in November of 1947.
Charter Members at Meeting of Gold Star Wives
Camden Courier-Post —
WHEN the Camden County Chapter of Gold Star Wives of War II organized Monday night, these charter members attended. Seated from left to right are Mrs. Caroline Simons, Mt. Ephraim; Mrs. Marian Rhymes, Audubon; Mrs. Marie Kurdziel, Merchantville; and Mrs. Lucille Hernandez and Mrs. Gertrude Fay, both of Woodbury. Standing from left to right are Mrs. Nellie H. Oswald, Camden; Mrs. Lillian A. Lockwood and Mrs. Dorothy M. Watt, both of Haddonfield; Mrs. Katherine Palmer, Camden, an honorary member; Mrs. Agnes Kranz, Pennsauken; Mrs. Ruth Hartline and Mrs. Margaret Murray, both of Camden; and Mrs. Evelyn Ross, Audubon. Mrs. Kurdziel, organizer of the group, was named temporary president of the local chapter in the area.