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Osborn was, however, different. He had faced death before, as a 17-year-old seaman at the Battle of Jutland, in 1916, and, later, in the Royal Marines on the Western Front. His life had been hard, firstly in rural England, and, later, as a casual worker, during the depression years, on farms and railroads in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada.
He joined the Canadian militia in 1933 and was promoted rapidly. Osborn was cool and tough; the kind of man you are glad to have on your side in a tight corner; a natural leader.
Whilst most of the Grenadiers may have been little more than raw recruits, and lacking in experience under fire, Osborn's calmness had a steadying effect. Under his leadership, his men were determined and fought like battle-hardened, regular soldiers. Osborn was everywhere displaying courage and inspiring his company, and although it is said by some that he led a bayonet charge, it ran into a hail of fire from Japanese entrenched machine guns.
The Canadians, who by now had been reduced to about 30, clung fiercely to the bare, pitted hillside, and twice they beat off counterattacks, and always Osborn was there. However, in spite of great courage, the position became untenable, and the Grenadiers were finally forced back by superior firepower. Osborn then covered their withdrawal, at one stage single-handed, engaging the enemy and exposing himself to heavy fire.
By mid-afternoon, the dozen men that survived were exhausted and entirely surrounded, but, although the Japanese were within a few yards of the Canadians' position, they continued to fight doggedly on.
At that stage, hand-grenades began to fall among them, and, on several occasions, Osborn flung them back at the Japanese. Finally, however, a grenade fell which Osborn could not grab in time, and, after shouting a warning and pushing others away, he threw his body over it, thus saving the lives of his few remaining comrades. Osborn was killed instantly, but the six men who were with him survived.