OSBORNE, Harry John Teague
(Service number 46530)
| First Rank | Lance Corporal | Last Rank | Lieutenant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 04/10/1893 | Place of Birth | St Columb, Cornwall, England |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 22 Rhodes Street, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Labourer (Brickyards) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Lottie Rose De Amour ROSEVEARE (sister), Oxford Street, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 24th Reinforcements, Auckland Infantry Regiment, A Company | ||
| Date | 5 April 1917 | ||
| Transport | Devon | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 15 August 1972 | Age | 78 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Timaru Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Harry John Teague Osborne was born on 4 October 1893 at St Columb, Cornwall, England, the youngest of the three sons of Thomas Henry (Harry) and Mary Jane (née Teague) Osborne, of Cornwall, England. Harry was at home with his family at St Columb, Cornwall in 1901 and 1911, before the family migrated to Timaru, New Zealand. He was a clay worker. In 1916 May Jane Osborne died at Timaru. Two older brothers – Thomas Edwin Osborne and William Henry Osborne – also served in World War One. All three were noted bandsmen in Timaru.
Lance Corporal Osborne embarked with the Auckland Infantry Regiment of the 24th Reinforcements, departing o 5 April 1917 per the “Devon”. “Lieutenant H. Osborne, an old Timaru bandsman, is expected home to-day. It is understood that he is the last Timaru man to return from the war. Mr Osborne left with, the 24th Reinforcement, and at the front was in charge of the Wellington Band. He left as a private and returns a lieutenant.” [Timaru Herald, 6 March 1920]. A nephew recalls that his Uncle Harry told him he was in the Military Band and when not needed, was at the front line taking out wounded soldiers.
Harry was a well-known cornet player and later leader of the Roslyn Mills Kaikorai Brass Band in Dunedin. His nephew had seen him at a band contest at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, leading the band round with lot of other bands from around New Zealand. “They were very good to me.” He married Emily Blanchard in 1922, and they had one daughter. In retirement, Harry and Emily moved to Otipua Road, Timaru.
Harry John Teague Osborne died on 15 August 1972, aged 78 years, and was buried at the Timaru Cemetery. His funeral was at the Woodlands Road Church and there were lots of bandsmen there from many other bands in uniform. The Methodist Church of Timaru placed a handsome window in the Bank Street Church as a memorial for the war victims of the congregations. Apart from the names of the fallen appearing on the window, the names of all who served were inscribed in a book which was to be preserved in the Church. Included in the names were those of Harry John Teague Osborne, Thomas Edwin Osborne and William Henry Osborne. Harry Osborne married Emily Blanchard in 1922. Harry nominated his sister Lottie Roseveare as his next-of-kin. Lottie had married William Joseph Roseveare in 1909 in Cornwall. Lottie and William also migrated to Timaru, where William enlisted in 1918.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [12 December 2016]; Timaru Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [22 March 2020]; 1901, 1911 census returns England (ancestry.com.au) [24 March 2020]; Timaru Herald, 6 & 9 March 1920, 5 July 1922 (Papers Past) [March 2020]; recollections of B. Blanchard [07 May 2026]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.