Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Sir Eugene "Pat" Gorman, (10 April 1891 – 19 July 1973) was an Australian barrister and military officer.

Early life

Gorman was born in

Goornong Goornong is a town in north central Victoria, Australia. The town is in the City of Greater Bendigo local government area and on the Midland Highway, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Goornong had a population of 718. A railway ...

, Victoria, on 10 April 1891 to Patrick Gorman and his Irish wife, Mary Mulcair. He was educated in Sydney at

St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill , motto_translation = Strive Strive for better things , established = , type = Independent single-sex secondary day and boarding school , educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Educati ...

. After serving as an

articled clerk Articled clerk is a title used in Commonwealth countries for one who is studying to be an accountant or a lawyer. In doing so, they are put under the supervision of someone already in the profession, now usually for two years, but previously thre ...

in Bendigo, he was admitted to practise as a solicitor and barrister on 5 May 1914. Barry O. Jones
'Gorman, Sir Eugene (1891–1973)'
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 4 December 2013.

Military service

During the First World War, which began in August 1914, Gorman enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 4 September 1915. After being commissioned in June 1916, Gorman served in Europe on the Western Front, arriving there in December 1916. He was posted to the 22nd Battalion, an infantry unit, and on 3 May 1917, during the

Second Battle of Bullecourt The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the Wes ...

, he led his

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

into battle, and despite being severely wounded, remained at his post until the company was relieved. For these actions, Gorman was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(MC), the citation for which reads: Gorman later reached the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in early 1919 before being discharged from the AIF in October 1919 upon his repatriation to Australia. He subsequently published a book about his experiences, titled ''With the Twenty-Second''. During the Second World War, which began in September 1939, Gorman served alongside the Australian forces in the Middle East as an honorary commissioner to the

Australian Comforts Fund Australian Comforts Fund (ACF) was an Australian umbrella organisation for voluntary bodies set up after the outbreak of World War I. Many men and women worked at the ACF, including Alice Berry and Cyril Docker in WW2. World War I The Australi ...

. He returned to Australia in 1942, and the following April was appointed to the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

. Holding the substantive rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, he was appointed as a temporary

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

and fulfilled the role of Chief Inspector of Army Administration, before being sent to the United Kingdom to command the AIF Reception Group, which was responsible for repatriating released prisoners of war back to Australia. After the war, he was transferred to the reserve list in November 1945.

Legal career

Following his service in the First World War, Gorman resumed his legal career, building up a large and highly regarded practice, and took silk as a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1929. Gorman had some involvement in politics, unsuccessfully standing as a candidate for the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

in 1931, and serving as an influential advisor and intermediary for the Country Party

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly ...

Albert Dunstan Sir Albert Arthur Dunstan, KCMG (26 July 1882 – 14 April 1950) was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party (now National Party), Dunstan was the 33rd premier of Victoria. His term as premier was the second-longest in th ...

, from 1935. In 1940, Gorman retired from active practice from the Bar, although he retained rooms at Equity Chambers, and came out of retirement on several occasions including serving as counsel for former Premier

Thomas Hollway Thomas Tuke Hollway (2 October 1906 – 30 July 1971) was the 36th Premier of Victoria, and the first to be born in the 20th century. He held office from 1947 to 1950, and again for a short period in 1952. He was originally a member and the lead ...

at a Royal Commission on bribery charges in 1952, an inquiry into the

Petrov Affair The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy incident in Australia, concerning the defection of Vladimir Petrov, a KGB officer, from the Soviet embassy in Canberra in 1954. The defection led to a Royal Commission and the resulting controversy contribu ...

in 1954, and to defend the racehorse trainer Harry Bird in 1969. According to his secretary, Gorman ran "the biggest free advisory legal service in Melbourne", offering legal advice ''pro bono'' to young lawyers, politicians and businesspeople. From 1956 to 1968, Gorman was Chairman of the Commonwealth Dried Fruits Export Board.

Honours

In addition to the Military Cross, Gorman was awarded two honours of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, both for service to the dried fruits industry. He was made a Commander (CBE) in 1960,GORMAN, Eugene
, ''It's an Honour'', 31 December 1960. and elevated to Knight Commander (KBE) in 1966.GORMAN, Eugene
, ''It's an Honour'', 11 June 1966. Gorman served as Victoria's consul-general to Greece, and was awarded two Greek honours: the gold cross of the

Greek Red Cross The Hellenic Red Cross ( el, Ελληνικός Ερυθρός Σταυρός, ΕΕΣ) is the Greek national Red Cross Society, founded on 10 June 1877. External links *Official Hellenic Red Cross website 1877 establishments in Greece Greece ...

and Knight Commander of the Royal Order of the Phoenix. Gorman's rooms in the Equity Chambers building on Melbourne's Bourke Street were named the Gorman Chambers in his honour, and have been maintained and occupied since his death by a group of barristers.Two new chambers to open in Victoria
, ''Lawyers Weekly'', 26 July 2010.

Personal life

Gorman married French-born Marthe Vallée, whom he had met while serving in France during the First World War, at St Patrick's Cathedral on 6 September 1920. Their son,

Pierre Gorman Pierre Patrick Gorman, (1 October 1924 – 1 October 2006) was an Australian librarian and academic who specialised in education for children with disabilities. Gorman, born profoundly deaf, was the first deaf person to receive a doctorate at C ...

, was born completely deaf in 1924, and went on to become the first deaf person to graduate from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and a well-known educator and expert on disability issues. Vallée died in 1966.

References

External links

Generals of World War IIMemoirs of Eugene Gorman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorman, Eugene 1891 births 1973 deaths Australian barristers Australian brigadiers Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian people of Irish descent Australian King's Counsel Australian recipients of the Military Cross Grand Commanders of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill 20th-century King's Counsel Australian Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Victoria (state)