Nature-loving doctor fondly remembered

Tributes have been paid to retired Lambourn general practitioner, George Osmond, who died on December 30

TRIBUTES have been paid to a "kind and compassionate" retired Lambourn general practitioner who died on December 30, aged 86.

As well as working as a GP in Lambourn for 32 years, George Osmond was a well-known wildlife conservationist in West Berkshire.

Dr Osmond grew up in Ashford in Middlesex where he developed a lifelong love of wildlife and gardening, greatly encouraged by his parents and grandparents.

Educated at Haileybury College, Emmanuel College Cambridge and St Thomas's Hospital, London, George Osmond became the fifth generation of his family to become a doctor.

Later, his daughter, Jenny Powell, and granddaughter followed in his footsteps.

In his early years as a medical student, he was part of the team that tended to released victims of Nazi oppression at the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen camp in April 1945.

He served as medical officer to the Coldstream Guards in the Malayan Emergency and as a ship's doctor visiting South America. He also undertook specialist jobs in England and Ireland.

In 1952 he married his wife Valerie, to whom he remained married for 58 years, and moved to Lambourn as a general practioner, building up the practice over 32 years.

"He was loved by his patients and colleagues for his outstanding medical care, kindness and compassion, his ability to communicate and engage with all, especially children, and also for his sense of humour and his expert opinion and enthusiasm for local natural history," his family said this week.

In 1997 he was appointed a Member of the British Empire for services to wildlife conservation in West Berkshire.

He was chairman of the local branch of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust and was instrumental in acquiring, protecting and caring for several local nature reserves, including those at Seven Barrows and the Lilian Watts reserve.

He educated young and old alike by leading local expeditions, encouraging young people with projects, photographing butterflies, advising on bird habitats and leading fungus forays and river dipping trips.

He also helped to train St John Ambulance volunteers locally and served as a magistrate for many years, firstly in Lambourn and later in Hungerford and Newbury.

His family added: "Whether with his family, of whom he was very proud, or with patients, colleagues, fellow magistrates, friends, neighbours and other wildlife enthusiasts, he will be remembered for his sense of fun, his ability to inspire and encourage others and his enjoyment of life around him."

Dr Osmond is survived by his wife Valerie, his three children Jenny, Hugh and John, eight grandchildren and a new great-grandchild.