Eugene Gorman

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

Early life Gorman was born in Goornong, 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. After serving as an articled clerk in Bendigo, he was admitted to practise as a solicitor and barrister on 5 May 1914.

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.

Gorman later reached the rank of captain 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. he was appointed as a temporary brigadier 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. and elevated to Knight Commander (KBE) in 1966.

Gorman served as Victoria's consul-general to Greece, and was awarded two Greek honours: the gold cross of the Greek Red Cross and Knight Commander of the Royal Order of the Phoenix.

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, was born completely deaf in 1924, and went on to become the first deaf person to graduate from the University of Cambridge, and a well-known educator and expert on disability issues. Vallée died in 1966.