Alec William Osborne

Paul R Hughes

Private 1298, 10th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers Private G25182, 1st Garrison Battalion, East Kent Regiment

Born: 1896 

Enlisted: 19 January 1915 

Discharged: 1 August 1917

Alec was born in Campden, the second son of Francis Bazley and Mary Ann Osborne, and was baptised at St. James’s Church on 1 August 1896. The family came to the town when his father became headmaster of Campden Grammar School in 1889. In 1913 Mr. Osborne left Campden and set up his own school at Malvern House in Blockley.

After leaving school Alec found employment as a bank clerk and on 1 January 1915 he enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers to join his brother, who had enlisted in August 1914. He joined the regiment in Colchester on 23 January 1915 and after a period of home service arrived in France on 30 July 1915, where he was posted to the 10th (Stockbrokers’) Battalion.

On the night of 4 May 1916 the battalion was at Monchy-au-Bois, south-west of Arras, when the Germans made a surprise attack. Alec’s brother was wounded but refused to leave his men. Raywood was then wounded a second time and while he was being carried away by the stretcher-bearers he was hit for a third time by a shell splinter in the chest. Alec was in a trench behind his brother at the time and went to see what had happened. The wound was fatal and Raywood died later that night.

Alec continued to serve at the front until he received a gunshot wound in the neck on 11 July 1916 that resulted in his being returned to England on 25 July. After leaving hospital he was transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion, East Kent Regiment, The Buffs, in which he was employed on home service until his discharge on 1 August 1917 after 2 years and 194 days in the army. 

This page was added on 20/04/2014.

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