Bob Corbett

NOTE: This article is written from an in-world perspective.

Bob Corbett is the husband of Lorna Corbett, shift matron for Victory Munitions. Bob is the father of his and Lorna’s three children, Stanley, Gene and Sheila.

Bob is wheelchair-bound due to developing ankylosis after injuries to his legs he sustained in World War One. He is unemployed (occasionally painting figurines for a toy store in town), leaving Lorna as the main breadwinner for their family.

Bob Corbett is played by Peter Outerbridge.

Biography
It is assumed Bob and Lorna got married before the first World War, both in their late teens or early twenties at the time. Bob fought in WW I and was injured by shrapnel when he jumped over a trench. With severe trauma to his legs, he spent months in the hospital, where eventually ankylosis (stiffness of the joints) set in. The ankylosis left Bob bound to a wheelchair, unable to walk.

Lorna and Bob's three children, Gene, Stanley and Sheila were conceived after Bob returned to Canada from World War I. Bob's parents are no longer alive.

Due to his disability, Bob is unemployed. He occasionally paints toy figurines for a toy shop in uptown Toronto, leaving Lorna and their children to provide for the majority of their income. They live in a small house in Toronto.

Personality
Bob's injury early in life has made his outlook on life cynical and bitter. His experiences in World War I have jaded him, to the point where he refuses to write to his children fighting overseas because he disdains their decision of joining the Army. It can be assumed that he may suffer from PTSD. He doesn't respect Lorna's eagerness to join the war effort on the homefront, which often leads to animosities and quarrel in the Corbett home.

Bob doesn't speak about his time in World War I, and it has become somewhat of an untouchable topic between him and his wife. In the past Lorna had tried to get Bob to share his experiences with her, but when he kept refusing, she eventually gave up. In Bob's eyes it is not something a decent man would do.

As Lorna knows Bob is not in favour of anything to do with the war, she did not invite him to the 1941 Victory Munitions Armistice Day ceremony. However, realizing that this was important to his wife, he made an effort to attend the ceremony together with Sheila, apologizing to Lorna about the fight they had previously.

Physical intimacy between Lorna and Bob has become scarce, partly due to Bob loathing his physical disability. He seems surprised by the fact that Lorna asks him to sleep with her the day of Pearl Harbor, though it may have confirmed his suspicions of Lorna already being pregnant with the child of another man that she is now trying to cover up.

Lorna Corbett
Lorna Corbett is the shift matron for Victory Munitions' munitions factory and Bob’s wife. They married young and have been together for over twenty-five years. Their three children were conceived after Bob came home from WW I. With Bob’s disability, their marriage hasn’t always been easy, and after over two decades of marriage and hardship, both physical and emotional intimacy has become scarce in their lives.

Sheila Corbett
Sheila is Lorna and Bob's youngest child and only daughter. She appears to be in her late teens and works as a nurse’s aide. Taking care of her wheelchair-bound father as she was growing up has helped her developing skills in her profession.

Edith McCaullum
Edith is Lorna's co-worker at Victory Munitions. When Edith's husband Doug is killed in battle, Edith doesn’t have the heart to tell her children. Lorna gets Bob to forge letters from Doug for Edith to give to her children, Skip and Daphne. Bob and Edith bond over the letters he writes for her, although Bob disapproves of the idea of helping Edith lie to her children.

Stanley Corbett
Stanley Corbett is Lorna and Bob's son, and an infantryman in the Canadian Army. He wins a military medal for brave conduct. This becomes a point of contention between Lorna and Bob, as Lorna is thrilled that her son has grown into such a "brave and honourable man," whereas Bob is too jaded by his own war experiences to muster much enthusiasm.

Gene Corbett
Gene (presumably short for Eugene) Corbett is Lorna and Bob's son. He is a gunner in the Canadian Army. His erratic behavior he shows while on leave from the military leads Bob to having a short, but emotional conversation with him about the effects the war has had on them both. While this is the most descriptive Bob has ever been regarding his war experiences, Gene plays it off as nothing.