Ransom was the oldest of Claude and Laura Emmaline Queen De Hart's 4 sons. Ransom was working full time as a Surveyor and helping to support his parents. He had signed documentation of support regarding his parents.

The family, 4 sons and 2 daughters all lived on their parents working farm where Ransom and the children were raised, harvesting the fields, cherry trees, and practically ever kind of apple tree; smoking meat in the smoke house, collecting honey from a mountain side of over 70 some bee hives, raising chickens, cows. Growing cane, and having corn ground into corn meal, and wheat ground into flour, churn butter milk, and make "Cows Butter" leaving very little to buy in town, i.e. coffee.

Ransom was chosen by the local offical in charge of his home area in Swain County, NC to be drafted for WWII even though he had a full time job, and a signed pledge of support to his parents.

There exsits an Affadavit filed in Book 90, Page 204 on 6 of December 1944 as required by the State of Arizona, Marcopia County of a previous marriage to De Hart on record, that of Ransom's wife's with the Sir name of De Hart signature, when Ruth De Hart remarried to Horace Franklin Canup in Phoenix Arizona. All are now deceased.

There was a daughter born after the death of Ransom that Ransom never seen or knew. This daughter may still be living today (2018). In addition, there were 2 children born to Ruth and Horace Franklin Canup, a son,
deceased and daughter, being half brother and sister to Ransom and Ruth De Hart's child.

Ransom went to see his sister and visited with his sister and her children. Ransom was saying goodbye with his hand on top of one of his nieces head, stated that he believed that he would not survive the war and would not be able to return to his homeland and family.

His parents was told that their son was missing from his station some where in North Africa according to his home town newspaper as the incident causing his death and many others were top secret at that time. Later on a purple heart was awarded to Ransom. Ransom's mother, was giving a wooden cross to hang in her window when she was informed of Ransom being missing. His mother had to take her Bible with the Births and Names of her children to the Courthouse in Bryson City, Swain County afterwards.

Ransom's body was never found. His name is engraved on the Wall of The Missing at North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial where the recovered deceased were buried and those not recovered that did not survive were listed on the walls erected there in their memory. On this wall 3,724 names are engraved. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

Written by Ransom's niece, daughter of Ransom's brother, Emmett Clayton De Hart, now deceased. Information from the time by my father and Ransom's sister who is still living as of 2018. Text sources are various Census, Birth, Military, Draft and Affadavit of Marriage, local newspaper article, and other documentation.

Siblings:
Lois Edith De Hart 1916
Frances De Hart Freeman 1918 –Memorial# 30035243
Floyd Ray De Hart 1921 – 1984 -Memorial# 17148610
Emmett Clayton DeHart1926 – 1977 -Memorial# 35186934
Ebb Ernest De Hart 1928 – 1989 -Memorial# 75989233

Visit the virtual cemetery of the " HMT Rohna Crew

US Army Air Corps WORLD WAR II
Passenger Technician 5th Class, Ransom A. De Hart MIA/KIA
Headquarters Company 853rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation
Hometown: North Carolina
Ship: HMT Rohna
Service # 34596079
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain:

Mission: Troop Transport Convoy KMF-26
Loss Date: November 26, 1943
Location: Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria.
Cause: German guided missile
Crew: On Board 2000 · Saved 606 · Lost 1138

This was the first successful "hit" of a merchant vessel at sea carrying US troops by a German remote-controlled, rocket-boosted bomb, thus giving birth to the "Missile Age", and it resulted in the greatest loss of troops (1,015) at sea in U.S. history. Combined with the loss of ship's crew and officers, and three Red Cross workers, more lives were lost than on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.

The "hit" was so devastating that the U.S. Government placed a veil of secrecy upon it. The events which followed were so shameful that the secrecy continued for decades until recently (1967), when documents were grudgingly released under pressure of the Freedom of Information Act. The government still does not acknowledge this tragedy, thus most families of the casualties still do not know the fate of their loved ones. In 1995, over fifty years later, a group of survivors, next-of-kin and rescuers, came together for the sole purpose of enabling the creation and dedication of a Rohna Memorial.

On November 26, 1943 nearly two thousand American soldiers faced the most traumatic experience of their young lives. They woke up that morning aboard a vessel that some described as unfit for human habitation. Just a bunch of kids, mostly only a year or so out of high school. Exhibiting the expected Yankee cockiness, they were ready to take on anything the war had to offer. Having survived a Thanksgiving Day dinner the day before, things just had to get better. The sad part of it was, this would be the last Thanksgiving for over half of them!

The minesweeper USS Pioneer rescued 606 survivors of the sinking.

Visit the virtual cemetery of the " HMT Rohna Crew

Ransom was the oldest of Claude and Laura Emmaline Queen De Hart's 4 sons. Ransom was working full time as a Surveyor and helping to support his parents. He had signed documentation of support regarding his parents.

The family, 4 sons and 2 daughters all lived on their parents working farm where Ransom and the children were raised, harvesting the fields, cherry trees, and practically ever kind of apple tree; smoking meat in the smoke house, collecting honey from a mountain side of over 70 some bee hives, raising chickens, cows. Growing cane, and having corn ground into corn meal, and wheat ground into flour, churn butter milk, and make "Cows Butter" leaving very little to buy in town, i.e. coffee.

Ransom was chosen by the local offical in charge of his home area in Swain County, NC to be drafted for WWII even though he had a full time job, and a signed pledge of support to his parents.

There exsits an Affadavit filed in Book 90, Page 204 on 6 of December 1944 as required by the State of Arizona, Marcopia County of a previous marriage to De Hart on record, that of Ransom's wife's with the Sir name of De Hart signature, when Ruth De Hart remarried to Horace Franklin Canup in Phoenix Arizona. All are now deceased.

There was a daughter born after the death of Ransom that Ransom never seen or knew. This daughter may still be living today (2018). In addition, there were 2 children born to Ruth and Horace Franklin Canup, a son,
deceased and daughter, being half brother and sister to Ransom and Ruth De Hart's child.

Ransom went to see his sister and visited with his sister and her children. Ransom was saying goodbye with his hand on top of one of his nieces head, stated that he believed that he would not survive the war and would not be able to return to his homeland and family.

His parents was told that their son was missing from his station some where in North Africa according to his home town newspaper as the incident causing his death and many others were top secret at that time. Later on a purple heart was awarded to Ransom. Ransom's mother, was giving a wooden cross to hang in her window when she was informed of Ransom being missing. His mother had to take her Bible with the Births and Names of her children to the Courthouse in Bryson City, Swain County afterwards.

Ransom's body was never found. His name is engraved on the Wall of The Missing at North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial where the recovered deceased were buried and those not recovered that did not survive were listed on the walls erected there in their memory. On this wall 3,724 names are engraved. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

Written by Ransom's niece, daughter of Ransom's brother, Emmett Clayton De Hart, now deceased. Information from the time by my father and Ransom's sister who is still living as of 2018. Text sources are various Census, Birth, Military, Draft and Affadavit of Marriage, local newspaper article, and other documentation.

Siblings:
Lois Edith De Hart 1916
Frances De Hart Freeman 1918 –Memorial# 30035243
Floyd Ray De Hart 1921 – 1984 -Memorial# 17148610
Emmett Clayton DeHart1926 – 1977 -Memorial# 35186934
Ebb Ernest De Hart 1928 – 1989 -Memorial# 75989233

Visit the virtual cemetery of the " HMT Rohna Crew

US Army Air Corps WORLD WAR II
Passenger Technician 5th Class, Ransom A. De Hart MIA/KIA
Headquarters Company 853rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation
Hometown: North Carolina
Ship: HMT Rohna
Service # 34596079
Awards: Purple Heart
Captain:

Mission: Troop Transport Convoy KMF-26
Loss Date: November 26, 1943
Location: Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria.
Cause: German guided missile
Crew: On Board 2000 · Saved 606 · Lost 1138

This was the first successful "hit" of a merchant vessel at sea carrying US troops by a German remote-controlled, rocket-boosted bomb, thus giving birth to the "Missile Age", and it resulted in the greatest loss of troops (1,015) at sea in U.S. history. Combined with the loss of ship's crew and officers, and three Red Cross workers, more lives were lost than on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.

The "hit" was so devastating that the U.S. Government placed a veil of secrecy upon it. The events which followed were so shameful that the secrecy continued for decades until recently (1967), when documents were grudgingly released under pressure of the Freedom of Information Act. The government still does not acknowledge this tragedy, thus most families of the casualties still do not know the fate of their loved ones. In 1995, over fifty years later, a group of survivors, next-of-kin and rescuers, came together for the sole purpose of enabling the creation and dedication of a Rohna Memorial.

On November 26, 1943 nearly two thousand American soldiers faced the most traumatic experience of their young lives. They woke up that morning aboard a vessel that some described as unfit for human habitation. Just a bunch of kids, mostly only a year or so out of high school. Exhibiting the expected Yankee cockiness, they were ready to take on anything the war had to offer. Having survived a Thanksgiving Day dinner the day before, things just had to get better. The sad part of it was, this would be the last Thanksgiving for over half of them!

The minesweeper USS Pioneer rescued 606 survivors of the sinking.

Visit the virtual cemetery of the " HMT Rohna Crew