Norm Goodspeed was born in Maine on January 19, 1927.  His parents were from New Brunswick and had gone to the U.S. in search of work, but the Great Depression brought them back to Canada, and they settled in the Fredericton area.  Norm’s father had inherited the family farm, but it was not his passion.  In any case the Great Depression cost him that, and he was out of work for a few years.  The young Norm went to high school – when he wasn’t being truant – and as he had quite the family military history he made the choice to join the navy as soon as he could.  The decision was hastened when one of his uncles – serving in the Merchant Navy – was torpedoed by U-boat:  the ship and all the crew were lost.  Norm’s initial training took place at Windsor and Cornwallis, where he was assigned his trade:  Norm would become a navy cook.  He served on several ships, notably HMCS Saguenay, and most of his time was spent in Canada’s coastal regions.  The worst of the Battle of the Atlantic was over by the time Norm came into service, but he still dealt with the weather and difficult conditions at sea, and he did his part in maintaining those critical supply lines to the front in Europe.  After the war – still just 18 years old – Norm returned to Canada, where he took advantage of the new opportunities available.  First he went to school in Toronto, but deciding it was not for him he went to work on the Alaska-Canada Highway, and on to Ontario Hydro.  Norm Goodspeed was interviewed by Crestwood students at the Sunnybrook Veterans’ Wing in October 2024.