Early and Middle Years
 
Philip was born on 19 October 1924 at 4 Ingoldsby Mansions, Avonmore Road, Fulham (directly across the street from the Olympia complex in Hammersmith Road, West Kensington, London).  The nearby station was then called Addison Road; now Kensington Olympia.  When writing an account of his early years, Philip said he was born a day late for St Luke’s, which his paternal grandmother, Maude Bartrum Osmond, had hoped for, so as to have “a little Luke”.  Thus his patron saint was St. Frydeswide (as for City of Oxford).
 
Philip’s father was Walter Percivale Osmond (Val) born St Peter’s Thanet (Broadstairs), in 1895 (died 1970). Having served in WW1, by the time Philip was born, he was teaching at Colet Court, Hammersmith (St Paul’s Juniors, Barnes).
 
Philip’s mother was Joyce Agnes Philippa Osmond nee Tuckwell (Joyce) born we think at Henley-on-Thames, in 1894 (died 1984). She may have been working in a voluntary or secretarial capacity at Toynbee Hall at around the time she married.
 
In 1927 they moved to new build house at 238 Sheen Lane, East Sheen, London SW14 (not much more than a stone’s throw from Richmond Park).
1927 or 1928: appendix removed in nursing home on Richmond Green.
December 1927: brother Humphrey Walter Osmond born at home (died 2006).
December 1930: sister Deborah Mary Osmond born at home.
 
September 1931?: Began first day Prep School in Colinette Road, Putney.
At first taken by his father in his old Austin 7 open tourer (known at school as the ‘matchbox on wheels’), and later by bus on his own.
March 1934: severe inner ear infection led to double mastoid op (before antibiotics) performed by Mr Mcann, anaesthetist being the family GP, ‘the wonderful Dr Parry’, in a nursing home in East Putney, backing on to the District Wimbledon line.
Summer 1934: recuperative holiday with Humphrey and “Nurse” Appleby (Apple”) at Farley Green, Surrey (near Shere) to give mother with young Deborah a respite from the sick room; in September 1934 tonsils and adenoids removed at home by the same team to guard against further infections.
May 1935: began boarding at Feltonfleet, Cobham, Surrey. Severe case of measles, also stunned by cricket ball on temple. Homesick and not a very happy first term.
September 1935: new school year with new Headmaster-owner, Keith Leighton, and some staff, in particular WGF Hoskins for Latin, Cricket, Rugby, Scouts and later Greek . . . a whole new life and encouragement.  French from joint headmaster, Bill Grundy, ultimately Philip’s best subject.  Late July annual Scout camps at Ironswell, New Forest; West Byfleet (twice); Snettisham, West Norfolk.
May/June 1938: won Junior Platt scholarship to Aldenham School, Elstree, Herts.
September 1938: entered Mead’s House and Fifth Form as scholar age 14.
December 1938: managed to attend all three performances of the School Christmas production of HMS Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan, thus reinforcing a love of singing and fostering a life-long fascination with opera (later joined the school chapel choir as a bass).
June 1939: School Certificate: pass in German (in one year from scratch), and Credits in (probably) French and English.
3 September 1939: Britain declared war on Germany. Philip’s father joined RAFVR (Royal Airforce Volunteer Reserve) as Meteorological Officer.
Late September 1939: returned to school two weeks late to allow them time for blackout precautions; school never evacuated from near London.
July 1941: Sat Higher School Certificate.
September 1941: appointed House Praepostor (Prefect) in Mead’s House.
May 1942: appointed Head of Mead’s House and School Praepostor.
July 1942: sat Higher School Certificate (normal procedure) a second time.
September 1942: appointed Captain of the School.
? November 1942: “took the shilling” /registered for war service accompanied by his father.
December 1942: unsuccessful attempt at scholarship at The Queen’s College, Oxford.
March 1943: much desired victory in Senior House Hockey, and last day at Aldenham.
April 1943: to Bridge of Don barracks, Aberdeen for three-day induction to Army.
April 1943: out of uniform to lodge at 466 King Street for five month University Short Course (for potential officers with a certain level of education) for The Royal Artillery.
April 1943: matriculated in Aberdeen University, Marischal College.
May 1943: sang in King’s College (Aberdeen) choir.
September 1943: began 6 weeks Army Initial Training at Lincoln barracks.
Late October 1943: to Royal Artillery Training Regiment, Dalry, Ayrshire.
March 1944: passed War Office Selection Board (WOSB).for officer training.
April 1944: To Pre-OCTU course at Wrotham, Kent.
May 1944: to 123 OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit), Catterick, Yorkshire.
20 October 1944: commissioned in Royal Regiment of Artillery as Second Lieutenant.
Then one or two special/short courses; and Christmas leave.
January 1945 set sail for India.  After initial induction there, transferred to the Indian Army in March 1945 until June 1947 – on the North West Frontier.
Returned to England (two months before Partition).
 
October 1947: enrolled at New College, Oxford, in Modern Languages
(shortened course: graduated in under three years).
 
Early 1950s, Val and Joyce move to 22 Bourne Street, London SW1 (a house writ large in all their grandchildren’s memories).   Following Val’s death, in the early 1970s Joyce moved to Cheltenham and lived there with Humphrey until her death in 1984.
 
Deborah and Vincent’s children are Giles (1959) and Philippa (1961).
Philippa and David’s children are Deborah (1999) and Matthew (2003).
 
April 1950: Philip married Anson (Constance Beatrice Anson nee Ridler, born London 1918, died Oxford 1987).
They met in Oxford, where Anson was working as an administrator for Balliol College. 
Married in Oxford. On moving to London rented a flat at 149 Delaware Mansions, Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London W9.
Their children:
Andrew born in London 1952 (died 2002)
Richard born in Oxford 1954
 
Andrew and Jill’s children are Lucy (1987), Emily (1988) and Alice (1991).
 
Lucy and Paul’s daughter, Sienna (2023)
Emily and Koden’s son, Lando (2022)
 
February 1957: Philip married Joan (nee Andrews, born Dover 1926, died Woking 2021).
They met when both working for British Security Services, in London.
Married in Stoke Newington, London
Their children:
Julia born in KL, Malaya 1959
Lydia born in Colombo, Ceylon 1961
Geoff born in Bromley, Kent 1964
 
Lydia and Brendan’s children are Isabel (1997) and Leo (2002)
Geoff and Jo’s children are Archie (2000) and Grace (2002)
 
September 1989: Philip married Erica (formerly Lawson nee Watson, born London 1931, died London 2014). They met in London, through a friend.
Married in Harrow. Philip moves to 15 Ashburnham Avenue, Harrow, where he spends the rest of his long life.
Erica’s children: Peter (1958) and Jeannie (1955)
Peter and Helen’s children: Esther (1990) and Elspeth (1993).
Esther and Ciaran’s children: Annabelle Amrit (Annie) (2016) and Hugo Amar (2018)
 
Career:
NB Philip’s own typed autobiographical notes end in 1947.
Philip was recruited from Oxford University into the Security Services (aka MI5). 
This was his entire career.
Starting work in London in 1950, in 1958 he was posted to Malaya and worked there with the Malay Police (post-independence/during final years of the insurgency).  In 1960 posted to Ceylon, there attached to the High Commission. Returned to England late in 1961: initially all lodging with his parents, by then at 22 Bourne Street, until moving to 6 Blyth Road, Bromley (then Kent, now part of London) in 1962 (and then to Kennington in 1982).
1960s: Philip’s daughters given a series of Eastern European dolls from work trips abroad.
1970-1972: posted to Singapore, again attached to the High Commission.
1972 returned to work in London, continuing until after retirement age (in the last few years of service when working part-time at times employed reading through files marked for destruction and earmarking any papers he considered should be kept).
When asked by daughter aged about 9 what he did at work, Philip said he ‘read the paper’.
Three younger children enlightened by older half-brothers perhaps during the late 1970s.
 
In a recent chat with Philip about MI5 earlier this year, he related that in 1974 he was due to take over Stella Rimington’s job (when she was being promoted).  While shadowing her, they were sent to Paris to interview someone it was thought might have useful knowledge (from the 1930s/1940s); this trip being described in Stella Rimington’s autobiography, Open Secret, as an example of how the French Security Services at that time were even more behind than the British in the equality stakes.  Being pregnant at the time, she was told that on no account could she carry out the interview face to face (presumably to avoid the male interviewee being ‘embarrassed’ by her ‘condition’).  She was therefore directed to sit behind a screen.  According to Philip, who as a result had to assist rather more proactively than simply shadowing, he is not named in Ms Rimington’s account of this trip (possibly over-modestly he said he thought this may have been out of kindness to him and because his interviewing skills may have fallen rather short of hers on that occasion). (Email from Julia Osmond 6th Jan 2024 Also attached is the Biography we wrote up as a handout; which very fortunately was able to replicate the chronology Dad had written up himself a couple of years ago (to 1947), as we would have found it more difficult to know most of that information!)


2023 Call from julia on the 11th December to say that her father died yesterday.

December 2024 Crematorium Service. ‘Good morning;
My name is Geoff Osmond, one of the three children from Philip’s second marriage, to Joan, in 1957; my sisters Julia and Lydia are also here today.   
Philip’s sons Andrew and Richard, our elder half-brothers, were born from his first marriage, to Anson, in 1950.   
He was fortunate to spend his later years with his third family, following his marriage to Erica, in 1989. 
We know that he was very proud to have 9 grandchildren, and it is lovely to see 5 of them here: Esther, Elspeth, Isabel, Archie and Leo; while the other 4 will be thinking of him today: Lucy, Emily and Alice who all live in Australia, and Gracie who is away travelling there.
Very sadly, Dad outlived his son Andrew. Andrew and his family had moved to Australia, and Dad remained in close contact with his daughter-in-law, Jill and the 3 girls; visiting them in Australia in 2015 when he was 90 and enjoying their visits back to England. He was very happy to have 2 Australian great-grandchildren born in the last 15 months, as well as his 2 great-grandchildren here.
Dad had many interests: he liked railway journeys in the UK and around the world; and had a phenomenal knowledge of London Transport developed over decades of living in and around London.  Most impressively he was still travelling by the Underground (never to be referred to as ‘the tube’) well into his mid 90s.  He loved books and maps; and he enjoyed the countryside, with a great love of Exmoor in particular.
Dad was born in Fulham and spent his childhood in East Sheen, not much more than a stone’s throw from Richmond Park and where he grew up with his brother Humphrey and sister Deborah.  In 1938, he won a scholarship to Aldenham School in Elstree. He has written that he attended all 3 performances of the 1938 school Christmas production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, thus reinforcing his love of singing and fostering a life-long fascination with opera.  Later he joined the school chapel choir.
After his wartime national service where he served in India, he studied Modern Languages at Oxford University. He loved all languages and liked to collect and record any new ones he came across.   He enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and would always ask what language they spoke and almost always would have a pretty good go at speaking it back to them.
From Oxford University Dad was recruited into the British Security Services, now commonly known as MI5, and where he spent his entire career. Until the late 1970s we knew of Dad’s workplace only as ‘the office’ – when he first joined the service it was never publicly or even privately acknowledged as such.  Dad was posted to Malaya and Ceylon from 1958 to 1961 and to Singapore in the early 1970s; and routinely made international work trips, including to parts of the Soviet Union during the 1960s.
Characteristically reserved and shy in his younger years, Dad was unfailingly courteous and self-effacing; and often described by others as gentlemanly and charming.  He was also extremely practical and good at sewing and making things including curtains, small items of furniture and the most amazing dolls house (which he must have stayed up late to make on many nights after work).  Our childhood holidays were spent in the English countryside, in Devon near our Aunt and cousins; the west country or Shropshire, and later the Lake District and Europe.  We have very happy memories of those times.
In case you would like to read more about Dad’s childhood and early life, we have with us copies of a more detailed account. 
Meanwhile we thank you all for coming today, and I will hand over to Peter.’
 

2021 Joan died, information from her daughter Julia Osmond December 2023.