Colonel Mike Osborn DSO, OBE, MC, ex-CO of 22 Special Air Service, and long time Trustee of the Ex-Services Fellowship Centres (now Veterans Aid), died on Jan 15th , 2010, aged 92.

VA’s CEO, Wg Cdr Dr Hugh Milroy said,

"Much of the strength and quality that today’s VA demonstrates on a daily basis, is built on the solid foundations that Col Mike Osborn helped to lay down. I know he took a very keen interest in our work up until the end. Men like Col Mike Osborn don’t come around every day and VA has much to thank him for... His contribution was significant."

The Times OnLine - Colonel Mike Osborn: infantry officer

Mike Osborn emerged from the Second World War with a reputation for gallantry and ability that opened a clear road to senior rank, even in the highly competitive period just after the war.

Amusing, good looking and a reliable horseman, he was a natural choice as an ADC. It was in that capacity that he began the war — as ADC to the commander of 4th Indian Division, en route from India to the Middle East — but he was back with his regiment, the West Yorkshires, for the final battle against the Italians in Eritrea.

The initial attack on the fortified positions at Karen, the gateway to the Eritrean capital Asmara, had failed in the face of stubborn Italian resistance under the spirited and skilful command of General Nicolangelo Carnimeo. In mid-March 1941 the 5th Indian Division, of which 2nd West Yorkshires formed part, resumed the offensive and finally broke through. Osborn was awarded an immediate Military Cross for his courage and leadership in command of the company, which attacked and captured Dologorodoc Fort in this decisive battle of the campaign.

After serving briefly in Iraq and Cyprus, 2nd West Yorkshires rejoined the 5th Indian Division for operations against the Afrika Korps in the Western Desert. Osborn was again commanding a company during the “Cauldron” battle in mid-June 1942, when Rommel’s superior handling of armoured forces proved critical. Following, the withdrawal from Gazala, an attack astride the east-west Ruweisat Ridge offered the 8th Army an opportunity to restore its fortunes in July.

The 5th Indian Division led along the ridge and the valley to the south. Although it failed to drive Rommel back, this battle prepared the way for his defeat at El Alamein in October. Osborn was awarded the DSO for his part in the Cauldron and Ruweisat battles.

The citation read: “Regardless of his own safety, Major Osborn commanded his company with the most conspicuous gallantry, coolness and skill. His company gained its objective in magnificent style. He has been a great example to all ranks since the battalion took the field.”

After achieving his objective on Ruweisat Ridge, he received a bullet wound in the head and had to be dragged unconscious from the exposed position his company held. After surgery in Cairo and convalescence in Alexandria, he attended a course at the wartime Staff College in Haifa before joining the headquarters of 50th (Tyne/Tees) Division for the battles of Mareth and Enfidaville in March and April 1943.

He was mentioned in dispatches in March 1943 and accompanied headquarters 50th Division in the invasion of Sicily that July. He was again wounded south of Catania during the advance up the east coast of the island.

After recovering in England he was appointed GSO 1 (Operations) at headquarters 2nd Army preparing for the Normandy landings.

His immediate superior was Colonel Selwyn Lloyd, a wartime soldier who later became the British Foreign Secretary. After the war he was the best man at Osborn’s wedding and remained a lifelong friend.

Osborn served with headquarters 2nd Army, under the command of General Sir Miles Dempsey, in operations in North-West Europe from Normandy to the Rhine. He was appointed OBE in March 1945. Then, in the hope of joining one of the two regular battalions of the West Yorkshires, both of which were fighting in William Slim’s 14th Army, he persuaded Dempsey to allow him to accompany him to South-East Asia in 1945 but operations ended in Burma too soon for him to see action there.

After briefly commanding the 2nd West Yorkshires in Penang after the liberation of Malaya, he was appointed Military Assistant to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir William Slim.

He commanded a company of 1st West Yorkshires on operations in the Cameron Highlands during the Malayan Emergency in 1954 and was again mentioned in dispatches.

When the commanding officer of 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, then also operating in the Cameron Highlands, was severely injured in a parachute accident, Osborn was moved across to command the regiment until an experienced special forces replacement could be found.

Having been formed as the Malayan Scouts, who had not established a high reputation for good discipline when not on operations, 22 SAS was still in the process of reaping the benefits of exacting selection and training techniques introduced by Major John Woodhouse of the SAS. In consequence of the Woodhouse reforms, Osborn was able to continue with SAS operations to persuade locals not to support communist terrorists seeking sanctuary in the deep jungle. He was lucky to escape unhurt when his aircraft overturned on a jungle airstrip.

Again in the role of trouble-shooter, he was appointed to command the Malaysian Federation Regiment in 1958. This mixed Malay, Chinese and Indian unit had been conceived by Sir Gerald Templer when High Commissioner at the height of the Malaysian insurrection. The aim was to bring the different military aptitudes and skills of the Malaysian races together, but good appearance on training had not been matched by operational effectiveness.

Osborn devoted himself to putting this right using all the considerable ability, energy and experience at his disposal with emphasis on operations in the huge state of Pahang. He left three years later, having accomplished what cynics believed impossible, and received the Pahang Meritorious Service Medal from the sultan of the state.

With two other outstanding lieutenant-colonels, he was selected to attend a course at the Imperial Defence College in London in 1961. The two others were appointed to brigade commands at the end of the course. Osborn was informed of a similar selection, but in the meantime sent to be Colonel General Staff Headquarters 1st (British) Corps in the British Army of the Rhine. Not long after that he left the Army after what must be described as a very distinguished military career.

Michael Ashby Chadwick Osborn was born at Kingston-upon-Thames during a Zeppelin night raid in 1917. His father, Captain George Osborn,had been killed three months before while serving with the Wiltshire Regiment in the Salonika campaign.

He was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent, Chillon College, Switzerland, and the RMC Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned into the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1937.

After leaving the Army, he lived for 15 years on the Greek island of Skiathos, assisting in developing the community’s tourist trade. Subsequently he lived near Shaftesbury in Dorset, and became involved in the pioneering of the Winged Fellowship Trust, which provides holidays for the disabled. He also played a prominent part in the local Ex-Services Fellowship Centres (now Veterans Aid), maintaining a close interest in them until shortly before his death.

He married Anita, second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. Butt, Royal Marines, in 1950. She survives him, with a son and daughter.

Colonel Mike Osborn, DSO, OBE, MC, was born on July 28, 1917. He died on January 15, 2010, aged 92