George Gorman was from Edmonton and became a Lieutenant in the
Royal Air Force. He participated in the battle of Amiens in
France during August 1918, where the combined allied force of
infantry, artillery, tanks, and air power struck a decisive
victory against an increasingly demoralized Germany military.
On 8 August 1918, Lieutenant Gorman was flying a
Sopwith
Camel supporting a bombing mission to destroy the bridge at
Voyennes, which the German army was using to transport
reinforcements. The bridge also offered an escape route to the
German army if the allied advance continued as fast as it had on
the first day of the attack.
During the bombing mission, one direct hit was reported on
the bridge, but one DH9 bomber and two Camels went down. George
Gorman was piloting one of these fallen Camels and was forced to
land in enemy territory, making him a Prisoner of War.
After the war George Gorman returned to Edmonton where he
turned to civilian flying, joining other World War I pilots,
like Wop May.
Gorman was well known for being one of the first to fly into
the Northwest Territories, up the Mackenzie River to Fort Norman
for Imperial Oil’s new oil discovery in 1921. The purpose
of the flight was to find out if it was feasible to supply
northern locations with air services. Two Junkers named the
Vic and the Rene were selected for the flight. Gorman
piloted one and the other was flown by Elmer Garfield Fullerton.
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