James Osborne (VC)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox military person James Osborne VC (13 April 1857 – 1 February 1928) was an English agricultural labourer, Private and recipient of the Victoria Cross.<ref name="VC GC Association">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Biography

James Osborne was born on 13 April 1857 in Wigginton to John Osborne, an agricultural labourer, and Mary Osborne (née Coker).<ref name="VC GC Association"/><ref name="1861 England Census">Template:Cite journal</ref> Osborne was educated at Wigginton Village School.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Upon leaving school Osborne worked as an agricultural labourer for the Rothschild's Champneys country house and estate.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Military

In December 1876, Osborne enlisted in Hertford and joined the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot.<ref name="VC GC Association"/> In 1879, Osborne was deployed to present-day South Africa to serve in the Anglo-Zulu War and was subsequently awarded the South Africa Medal.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Osborne served in the First Boer War and fought at the Battle of Majuba Hill and Battle of Schuinshoogte.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Victoria Cross

In 1882, Osborne was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on the 22 February 1981 at Wesselstroom (present day, Wakkerstroom):

War Office, March 18, 1882.<ref name="London Gazette">Template:Cite news</ref>

At the time of his award Osborne was a private in the 2nd Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment.<ref name="VC GC Association"/> Osborne was awarded the Victoria Cross medal by Lieutenant-general Leicester Smyth at a investiture in Pietermaritzburg, Natal (present-day, KwaZulu-Natal).<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Return to civilian life

Osborne was discharged from the army in April 1883, and returned to Wigginton to work as an agricultural labourer at Champneys.<ref name="VC GC Association"/> On 8 September 1883, Osborne married Rhoda Osborne (née Collier; 1860–1925).<ref name="VC GC Association"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Together they had 3 children.<ref name="VC GC Association"/> In 1913, Osborne was partially paralysed by a stroke.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

Osborne died on 1 February 1928 in Wigginton aged 70 and was buried alongside his wife at St Bartholomew’s Church, with full military honours.<ref name="VC GC Association"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

In 1941, Osborne's Victoria Cross was destroyed during the Belfast Blitz.<ref name="VC GC Association"/>

In 2019, in honour of Osborne a stained glass pulpit window by Thomas Denny was installed at St Bartholomew’s Church, Wigginton.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>