Petey Gorman to Ogden Gorman, 1941-1943

The materials in the Ogden C. Gorman (1921-1992) World War II Papers span from 1937 to 1993 and consist of Ogden Gorman’s correspondence, military service records, ephemera and printed materials. Most of the materials span from 1941-1945 while Ogden fought in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later in the United States Army-Air Force during World War II. The bulk of the materials is correspondence between Ogden Gorman, his family, and friends. Principal correspondents include his mother, Mrs. Douglas Gorman; his father, Mr. Douglas Gorman; his brothers: Edmund (Teddy) Gorman, Arthur (Petey) Gorman, and Kenneth (Aubrey) Gorman; and his friends. There is a lengthy biography of Ogden Gorman written by his son, Peter Gorman (also the donor of the collection). Ogden Gorman also received several awards after World War II such as Certificates of Appreciation and the Distinguished Flying Cross which are included in the collection. The collection contains other materials such as his military record books; drills and exams with the Royal Canadian Air Force; his mess bills and leave slips; his bombing maps; his postcards of Great Britain; theater and movie flyers; propaganda leaflets; newspaper clippings; his RCAF materials; and his military reunion pamphlets.

This collection demonstrates an important part of United States World War II history since it deals with a military family and how its life was altered by having four sons in the military overseas. It is also important since it shows first hand the difficulties and sacrifices endured during a long war. An interesting part about this collection is that this family had sons serving both the United States and Canada during World War II. This collection has rich and valuable information for a researcher because it describes the life of a serviceman and the effect of World War II on his family.

Some of the correspondence has been digitized onto CDs kept with the reference file.