COMMODORE AUGUSTUS (GUS) WILLINGTON AGAR VC DSO RN (1902-03)

Augustine Agar was born on 4th January 1890 at Kandy, Ceylon.

He was the youngest of 13. His father was Irish & took up tea planting in what was then

Ceylon. He was married to an Austrian lady. All the boys were sent to English public schools;

all the girls to either Austrian or German schools. One wonders if any ended up marrying those nationals & thereby creating split family interests in the war years.

In his early naval days, Agar was seconded to the Army with 2 other young naval officers to learn to fly (no

separate RAF in those days). On his return he was supposed to continue his flying duties in what would become the Fleet Air Arm, but they had no planes; and naval high command thought this new fangled idea had no place in the navy!!

So he was advised to return to the mainstream and was sent to Torpedo school & subsequently onto CMBs

(Coastal Motor Boats), where he was put in charge of CMB development, the forerunner of MTBs (Motor Torpedo Boats) when he was called to the Admiralty & seconded to the Secret Service.

His instructions were that together with 2 CMBs plus crews he would be transported to the Baltic where under

the guise of "civilian salesmen" he & his crews would set up a spy running operation between a hidden base on the Finnish coast (Finland was neutral although anti Bolshevik in feeling). Therefore the base would be

clandestine although the local Finnish naval chief with whom Agar formed a friendship was aware of his true purpose. From this base he would run spies in & out of Petrograd.

The only other person to know his true identity & purpose was the Admiral in charge of our Baltic flotilla charged with maintaining a free flow of commercial traffic plus making sure that the remains of the German

fleet did not leave Kiel. He was also Agar's source of fuel supply.

The Admiral was becoming increasingly concerned that the Russian fleet now controlled by the Bolsheviks &

considerably more powerful than the British flotilla, based in Petrograd & protected by the fortress island of Kronstadt would attempt to exit, thereby considerably increasing his problems.

When Agar suggested that he could under cover of darkness get to the Russian boats and sink one as a deterrent (his CMBs were equipped with a singe torpedo tube & could carry two weapons) the Admiral was in favour.

However when Agar sent a wire to his boss "C" requesting permission he was told he should stick to his job & not risk his boats on such a difficult operation.

The Admiral was not prepared to over rule this decision from London, but told Agar that if he went ahead unofficially he would have his full support for the consequences.

Agar decided to attack that night, He assembled both his crews & told them of his decision. Furthermore they would don their hidden naval uniforms in case of capture & fly the white ensign.

Unfortunately on the approach with no lights & at high speed, the second boat struck a floating object severely damaging the propeller shaft. The mission had to be aborted & Agar only just managed to tow the damaged boat back to base before daylight.

Not to be deterred Agar decided to go alone the following night, evading the Russian defences he entered the

port & sank the Russian heavy cruiser "Oleg". At high speed he escaped in the general confusion & returned to base.

As his first duty he visited the Finnish naval commander who by this time was aware that a Russian warship

had apparently blown up! Agar admitted he was a British naval officer & was responsible for the explosion to the amazement of the Finn.

He exclaimed, "you are a brave man" & made immediate arrangements to have Agar & his crews taken to a landing spot where they could be picked up by our navy.

The Admiral recommended Agar for a VC, which was duly awarded by King George V in a private ceremony in

his study at Buckingham Palace in 1919. At the time it was known in the Service as the "mystery" VC, as no official announcement of the Kronstadt raid was issued. His Citation reads:

On 17 June 1919 at Kronstadt, Russia, Lieutenant Agar took HM Coastal Motor Boat (CMB) 4 into the bay, penetrated a destroyer screen and was closing a larger warship further inshore when CMB4, whose

hull had been damaged by gunfire, broke down. She had to be taken alongside a breakwater to do repairs and for 20 minutes was in full view of the enemy. The attack was then resumed and a Russian Cruiser was sunk, after which Lieutenant Agar retired to the safety of the open bay under heavy fire.

He was also appointed as Lt Cdr to the Royal Yacht in 1923 at the request of King George V, who was a keen

sailor & spent as much time as possible on the Yacht. It is clear that Agar became a favourite with the King, as

his views on naval development were sought informally by the King throughout his reign. In the same way he

became a confident of Winston Churchill and shared his views that air power in the navy was the future. Not battleships. A view not supported by the Admirals at the time.

He served in HMS Curlew, a light cruiser, one of a class of ten built as part of the emergency war programme,

and Hibernia, Philomel, Chatham, Scarborough and others. He was also seconded to set up The Royal New Zealand naval academy.

He wrote 3 books – “Footprints in the Sea” (an autobiography), “Showing the Flag” and “Baltic Episode”. These books are briefly as follows: -

“Footprints in the Sea” covers his fascinating life as a midshipman in the pre 1914 Navy, action against the Russians during the Revolution (including sinking a Russian Cruiser,

for which he was awarded the VC), the CMB raids on Kronstadt, service with the British Secret Service, on the Royal Yacht between the Wars and Atlantic convoy escort duties

during WWII. His sea career ended when his command, HMS Devonshire, was sunk by

Japanese dive-bombers. His autobiography is indeed a fascinating account, told with

great humility of a very brave man who was an original thinker at a time when naval policy was rigid in its adherence to the past.

“Showing the Flag” was published in 1962. He states that “the phrase always

has for the Royal Navy a deep and significant meaning, largely because it is a constant reminder of the Navy's responsibilities in safeguarding the sealinks of

communications which connect Great Britain with the rest of the Commonwealth.” He served during the period when Royal Naval ships really did roam the globe

“Baltic Episode” reveals the true story of the Royal Navy flotilla that was sent, in 1919, in

great secrecy, to the port of Leningrad, to attempt to destroy the Russian Naval base of

Kronstadt. Details of this attack were kept secret for 40 years, and this book describes the real sinking of the Bolshevik cruiser, OLEG, and the crucial raid on the Red Fleet at

Kronstadt.

He was President of the S.O.F in 1929/30

In the last war he was on North Atlantic convoy protection and his time at sea ended when HMS Dorsetshire

was caught by Japanese dive bombers on 5 April 1942 and she sank within eight minutes of the first bomb

hitting. Only 16 of the men who went into the water died, a testament to crew discipline and the leadership of Agar and the other officers. Agar worked hard to save his crew, picking up the wounded in a whaler. He was

reported by survivors as speaking calmly. During the engagement Agar was wounded in the leg by shrapnel, which turned septic and when the ''Dorsetshire'' sank, Agar was dragged down deep and suffered the bends

coming up, as well as swallowing oil on the surface. These injuries affected his fitness for further seagoing duty and for the rest of his life.

In 1943 he was removed from the "active " list and invited by the First Sea Lord to become President & Captain

of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich with the rank of Commodore, a position normally held by a senior Flag Officer.

In 1945 he contested for the Conservatives the seat of Greenwich in the General Election, but was

unsuccessful.

He died on 30 December 1968 at the age of 78 and was buried at Alton, Hampshire. His Victoria Cross is

displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London, along with his telescope. HM Coastal Motor Boat 4, his boat in the Baltic, is on permanent display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

[Many thanks to Michael Evans (S45-48) for his considerable help with this item]

The following is a photo of his medal display in the College Chapel

The following photo is from the Spring 1993 OF Magazine

This photo is in the SOF archives at the College.