Osborne Enoch Watkins was born on 3 March 1891 at West Dean, Lydbrook, Gloucestershire. He was the son of Osborne & Harriet Watkins.

His grand-daughter kindly provided the following: Osborne’s mother, Harriet Watkins (nee Parry) died when he was a week old and his father hired a housekeeper which wasn't successful. So he went to his mothers brothers family.

He was apprenticed as a grocer but didn't like the fiddling that went on so left and went down the mines. He said that was why he didn't grow very tall - 5' 5 ½”.

The 1911 census lists him living in Lydbrook and working as a Coal Hewer at Waterloo Colliery.

Shortly after War was declared in 1914, he joined the armed forces and was sent to a training camp near Winchester in 1916. His grand-daughter continued: When he was stationed at Morn Hill, Winchester he met his future wife Mabel. Osbourne was brought home by her older sister and they married soon after on 23 September 1916. My Nan was only 15, Grandad being 10 years older. Their house "Temple Valley" was right in the middle of the encampment as Mabels father was a gamekeeper on the Avington Estate.

Osborne & Mabel went on to have 4 children, Osborne Charles (1918), Doris Maude (1919), Raymond (1926) & June Margaret Rose (1932).

Osborne was injured in the leg during the war and as part of his rehabilitation, received motor mechanic training. He later received a one-off pension payment of £75 from the government which he used to buy a lorry that he used to transport people around Winchester.

Eventually he took a job as a civilian driver at Worthy Down which later became HMS Kestrell during WW2. During the Second War, his duties included driving Fire Engines and Ambulances.

Osborne Parry passed away at the age of 72 on 9 May 1972 in Winchester.

His grand-daughter concluded: I Knew him as a very quiet and kind man. He loved his cars and was a motor mechanic. His first car was a Peugeot before the 1st war and he was never without one. When I was 10, he drove me to Lydbrook to stay with relatives on the farm in a red M.G. We stopped half-way and brewed tea on the little primus stove set in a 3 sided biscuit box to shield it from the draughts.

Following the outbreak of the Great War, Osborne Enock Watkins enlisted in the 2/4th Gloucester Regiment on 10 November 1914 as a Private. For unknown reasons he absented himself on 29 May 1915.

It was clear that he still wanted to serve his country and just 6 weeks later – on 12 July 1915 - he re-enlisted as no 1464 in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade under the name Osborne Parry.

Unfortunately, his service record was destroyed during the Blitz, but it is possible to piece together elements through surviving fragments of information.

He would initially have trained at the Brigade Depot, which started out in Swansea but later moved to Winchester. His grand-daughter added: He was used to horses, having horses at home on the farm and he became an excellent horseman in charge of a team of horses pulling a gun carriage. When he was stationed in Winchester he met his wife, Mabel.

In 1917, he was given the new number 169354. This confirms that, at this time, he was still serving with the RFA and secondly that he had been sent to a unit of the Regular army (not Territorials). Unfortunately, it is not known which unit he served with.

Later in 1917, he changed units again and transferred to the East Yorkshire Regiment at a Private with the service number 28966.

The next record confirms that he was wounded. His name is published in the War Office daily list of 7 Nov 1917. These lists gave the names of wounded soldiers and were published between 2 and 6 weeks after the men were injured, so it is reasonable to assume the injury was late Sept/Oct 1917. An unconfirmed family story says that he was present at the Mutiny at the Etaples Training Camp at this time.

Family records confirm that he had a long and difficult recovery: A shell went through his thigh damaging the sinews and meant he couldn’t keep his leg straight.

He was sent to Scotland where it was impossible for his family to visit. His leg was put in plaster. When he was finally transferred to Netley Hospital (where the wards were so long they used motor cycles to get from one end to another) they took off the plaster, his shin was raw. He was put in traction but his leg still wouldn’t stay straight. Finally, a fine surgeon used animal sinews to repair his leg and with great perseverance and a special boot he learnt to walk almost perfectly with only a slight limp. He was in Scotland for six months and another six months in Netley and also attended hospital for another year before he was discharged..

Pte Osborne Parry was discharged from the army on 26 Nov 1918 and was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and Silver War Badge (to recognise his wound).

He later received a military pension - with the reason given as a gun shot wound to his left thigh - and in 1921, received a £75 one-off payment from the army pension department to buy a motor vehicle.