Gorman, Digger

“Digger” Gorman served in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War.  Originally from New Brunswick, the future geology student – that’s where the name “Digger” came from – Digger was deep in his studies when the war approached.  As a science/engineering student, Digger’s enlistment was originally deferred, but like many in his generation, he put school off, and went into the navy in the middle part of the war.  At first Digger was in Coverdale, site of the top secret naval decoding base, where he was assigned to the EOTVOS project, though his involvement was minimal.  From there his life aboard ship began, as he played his role in the Battle of the Atlantic, escorting convoys in the western part of the Atlantic and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Digger and his shipmates did their part in fighting the U-Boat threat.  With the war’s end, Digger was getting ready for the Pacific campaign, but when the A-bomb ended that possibility, he went back to school, pursuing his degree, all while resuming married life and having a young family.  He soon relocated to Toronto, where he emerged as an associate professor in the geology department.

We met Digger at the Sunnybrook Veterans Wing in March 2017, when he shared his story with Arielle Meyer and Scott Masters.