- Augustus Agar
Infobox Military Person
name=Augustus Agar
lived= 4 January 1890 - 30 December 1968
placeofbirth=Kandy ,Ceylon
placeofdeath=Alton, Hampshire
caption=("Photo submitted by Simon Manchee")
nickname=Gus
allegiance=United Kingdom
branch=Royal Navy
serviceyears=1905 - 1946
rank=Commodore
commands=HMS "Witch" (22 Apr 1926 - Jul 1927) HMS "Scarborough" (30 Sep 1930 - May 1933) HMS "Curlew" (9 Jan 1936 - Feb 1936) HMS "Emerald" (15 Jan 1937 - Apr 1939)Royal Naval College ,Greenwich (1939) HMS "Emerald" (31 Jul 1939 - Apr 1940) HMS "Malcolm" (25 Jun 1940 - 12 Aug 1940) HMS "Dorsetshire" (8 Aug 1941 - 5 Apr 1942)Royal Naval College ,Greenwich (5 May 1943 - Apr 1946)
unit=
battles=World War I -Dardanelles -Zeebrugge Raid BalticWorld War II -Indian Ocean Raid
awards= [ [http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersA2.html Royal Navy officers' career summaries] ] VC (22 Aug 1919) DSO (11 Nov 1919)MID (8 Sep 1942)Cl&B (24 Jun 1947)
laterwork=Younger Brother ofTrinity House {1936) ConservativeParliamentary Candidate for Greenwich (1945) Vice President Sailors' Home andRed Ensign Club (1957) Published: "Footprints in the sea" (1959; autobiography); "Showing the flag" (1962; autobiographical, interbellum); "Baltic episode" : a classic of secret service in Russian waters (1963)
portrayedby=Commodore Augustus Willington Shelton Agar, VC, DSO, RN (1890-1968) was a noted
Royal Navy officer in bothWorld War I andWorld War II and a recipient of theVictoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.In his naval biography, "Footprints in the Sea", published in 1961, Agar described himself as "...highly strung and imaginative...". The
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Agar "... epitomizes the 'sea dog' of British naval tradition: honourable, extremely brave and totally dedicated to King, country and the Royal Navy."Life
Early life
Augustus Agar was born in
Kandy ,Ceylon on January 4,, 1890. He was the thirteenth child of John Shelton Agar, an Irishman fromWoodmont ,County Kerry who had left his native land in 1860 to become a successful tea planter in Ceylon, taking a pack of foxhounds with him. Agar was brought up in comfortable circumstances in a fine house with servants. Agar's mother, who wasAustria n, died shortly after his birth and at the age of eight he was sent with one of his brothers to school inEngland . His father died in 1902 ofcholera which he had caught during a visit toChina .Augustus ("Gus") Agar attended
Framlingham College inSuffolk ,England . He was now without parents or a fixed home and his oldest brother, Shelton, determined that he should go into the Navy. Gus, who idolized his older brother, willingly agreed. To prepare, he attendedEastman's Royal Naval Academy inSouthsea .A friend of the family, Sir Henry Jackson, later an
admiral andFirst Sea Lord , nominated Agar for a spot in the annual intake of naval cadets. After time spent with a "crammer", he passed the entrance exams and in 1904 joined the naval cadet school, HMS "Britannia", at Dartmouth, England. The "Britannia" was a woodenman of war , obsolete when launched in 1860, and soon tied up and used as a stationary training ship.As a part of his training, Agar went to sea in the 5,650 ton second class
cruiser , HMS "Highflyer", and afterwards on the slightly older HMS "Isis". These ships were stationed atBermuda and many classes were held ashore when the ships were in port. Agar had many pleasant memories of sports, swimming, boating and picnics during this period.Agar served at sea in a number of ships in the prewar period, including the battleships HMS "Prince of Wales" attached to the Mediterranean Fleet, and HMS "Queen", commanded by Captain (later Admiral) David Beatty. He greatly admired Beatty's dash and style.
Agar's early training gave him a thorough grounding in basic naval matters, especially in handling small boats. This was to prove a great asset later in his career. In 1910 Gus passed his seamanship examination with flying colours and was made an acting
sub-Lieutenant . During 1911, he served aboard adestroyer , HMS "Ruby". He spent the next period on course atPortsmouth and studying at theRoyal Naval College inGreenwich , England. He was promotedLieutenant on 30 June 1912.After his courses were complete, Agar was assigned to small ships, his first being "Torpedo Boat No. 23". In April 1913 he was sent to learn to fly. It was not entirely his "metier", though he obtained his licence after enduring three crashes in the very primitive aircraft of the time. He joined the
pre-dreadnought battleship, HMS "Hibernia", in September 1913, attached to theHome Fleet .During this period, Agar became a gunnery expert.
First World War
The Grand Fleet
Agar was aboard the "Hibernia" when
World War I broke out and soon sailed with her to Britain's then secret wartime base atScapa Flow . He was a part of Admiral SirJohn Jellicoe 'sGrand Fleet .As newer and faster
dreadnought s joined the fleet, the pre-dreadnoughts became increasingly obsolete, being slower, with much less firepower and poor design features. "Hibernia" and her sisters of the "King Edward VII" class battleships had their secondary 6" guns placed too low in the water, where they were liable to be submerged in all but the calmest seas.The Dardanelles and guard duty
In the summer of 1915 it was decided to send "Hibernia" out to the
Dardanelles to provide gunnery support to the Allied landings on the Gallipoli peninsula. She arrived in September 1915 at theRoyal Navy base atMudros , on the Greek island ofLemnos , at the entrance to the straits leading to theBlack Sea .The sheltered waters of the
Aegean Sea and the straits enabled "Hibernia" to use all her guns and she was employed in firing at Turkish targets on Gallipoli and the nearbyAsia Minor shore. She was hit once by a Turkish shell, but not seriously damaged."Hibernia" returned to Britain when the Allies evacuated Gallipoli and was stationed at
Rosyth with others of her class to guard against raids on the British coast by German ships. Because of their slow speed and weak offensive power, the pre-dreadnought battleships were not ordered to join the Grand Fleet for theBattle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, though they got up steam pending the outcome of the engagement.North Russia
After Jutland the battleship threat from Germany receded somewhat and the danger from mines and submarines grew. Especially vulnerable were the two ports of
Murmansk and Archangel in NorthRussia used by British merchant ships bringing warmateriel to their ally. Mine sweepingnaval trawler s were sent out to counter this threat and two oldcruisers were modified to act as repair workshops and headquarters for thisflotilla . Agar joined one of them, HMS "Iphigenia", in December 1916, asexecutive officer . The "Iphigenia" dated from 1892, displaced 3,400 tons and in her early days could make 20 knots."Iphigenia" arrived at Murmansk in March 1917, just as the Russian Revolution was beginning. She operated out of Archangel in the summer when the
White Sea was clear, and from the ice free Murmansk in the winter. Although it was apparent to local Allied commanders that the war materiel landed after the spring of 1917 was not being put to good use, their advice to stop the flow was ignored byWhitehall . Indeed much of the materiel was either destroyed or ended up being used by the Bolsheviks or the Germans.While at Murmansk, Agar had the opportunity to renew acquaintance with Russian officer friends from the cruiser "Askold", which was berthed alongside. He had served with them in the Dardanelles, when he was on HMS "Hibernia". He met them again at Devonport dockyard. But, mutiny soon broke out on the "Askold", and Agar was shocked to see his officer friends arrested one by one and taken ashore, not to be seen again. Discipline aboard the ship broke down completely, and after the last of the food and supplies were consumed, she was abandoned to rust away.
This difficult and occasionally dangerous mission occupied the "Iphigenia" until the end of February 1918, when worsening conditions and a hostile Bolshevik government prompted a withdrawal. The British were able to take away with them a number of Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks.
The Russian experience was of value to Agar later in his career.
Coastal motor boats
Agar served in
Coastal Motor Boats (CMBs) in home waters during the latter part of the war. These small vessels displaced just 5 tons compared to the 1,110 tons of a World War One eradestroyer . Their main offensive weapon was atorpedo . They were of shallow draught and could operate close inshore.The CMBs carried one or two torpedoes, depending on whether they were "forty footers" or "fifty-five footers". Mines could be substituted for torpedoes and they also carried
depth charge s andLewis gun s. It was planned that they be either towed or carried into battle on the German coast by thelight cruiser s anddestroyer s of Commodore SirReginald Tyrwhitt 's Harwich Force. With their shallow draught they could skim over the mines and attack the German patrol craft aroundHeligoland . As 1918 wore on a more ambitious scheme matured, to send the CMBs in over the shallow coastal waters to attack the German fleet at its anchorage. But theArmistice occurred on 11 November 1918 before these plans could be put into effect.It was as torpedo and mining officer that Augustus Agar was selected for this service. He participated in the famous raid on Zeebrugge led by Commodore
Roger Keyes , CMBs being used to lay smoke screens outside the mole to cover the escape of the crews of the blockships. During the summer of 1918, he was stationed atDover and atDunkirk , the CMBs leading an exciting life attacking German patrol craft along the Belgian coast.The Baltic and the Bolsheviks
The end of the war found him at the CMB base at
Osea Island inEssex , England. He was asked in late 1918 by Sir GeorgeMansfield Smith-Cumming , head of the foreign section of the BritishSecret Intelligence Service , to volunteer for a mission in the Baltic Sea, where Coastal Motor Boats (CMBs) were to be used to ferry British agents back and forth fromBolshevik Russia. The shallow draught and high speed of the CMB made it ideal for landing on enemy occupied shores and making a quick getaway. Two of the chief British agents in Russia were SirPaul Dukes andSidney Reilly . During this time Agar and his two boats were technically under the command of theForeign Office .Agar set up a small base at
Terijoki just inside Finland, close to the Soviet frontier. From here he undertook secret missions to drop off and retrieve British agents on the coast of the Bay of Petrograd. To do this, his boats had to cross Bolshevik minefields and pass by a number of forts and ships guarding the entrance to the Bolshevik naval base atKronstadt and toPetrograd , nowSt. Petersburg .Also operating in the eastern Baltic Sea was a
Royal Navy detachment oflight cruisers anddestroyers under Admiral SirWalter Cowan . Though technically not connected, Agar regularly reported to Cowan and received assistance from him. Cowan's mission was to keep the sea lanes open to the new republics ofFinland ,Latvia ,Estonia andLithuania which were under threat of being overrun by Soviet Russia.On their missions Agar and his crews dressed in civilian clothes, to maintain the fiction that Britain was not involved. They had a uniform on board in case they were in danger of capture. Without the uniform, they could be shot as spies, though it probably would not have made much difference to the "
Cheka ", the Bolsheviksecret police .Agar felt that his small force should be doing more than acting as a shuttle service. The Bolsheviks had seized much of the Russian fleet at Kronstadt, and Agar considered these vessels a menace to British operations and took it upon himself to attack the enemy battleships.
He set out with his two boats, HM "Coastal Motor Boat 4" and another, on 17 June 1919. One had to turn back before completing its mission but Agar continued into the bay. The battleships were not in the harbour though. "CMB4" penetrated a
destroyer screen and was closing on a larger warship further inshore when "CMB4", whose hull had been damaged by gunfire, broke down. She had to be taken alongside a breakwater for repairs and for twenty minutes was in full view of the enemy. The attack was then resumed and a Russiancruiser , the 6,645 ton ""Oleg"" was sunk, after which Lieutenant Agar retired to the safety of the open bay under heavy fire. For this he was awarded theVictoria Cross Agar was promoted toLieutenant Commander on 30 June 1919.Realizing the utility of the CMBs, Cowan ordered a more to be sent out from England to add to his fleet.
On 18 August 1919, Agar took his remaining boat against the Russians, acting as guide-ship to a flotilla of six others, leading them through the minefields and past the forts. Agar's boat was ordered to stay outside the harbour, and the attack was led by Commander
Claude Dobson . They entered Kronstadt harbour, this time sinking a battleship, 17,400 tonpre-dreadnought "Andrei Pervozvanny" (subsequently salvaged) and a submarine depot ship, the 6,734 ton "Pamiat Azova ".For his part in this action Agar was awarded the DSO. Dobson and another RNB officer
Gordon Steele received Victoria Crosses [ [http://www.naval-history.net/WW1CampaignsRNBolshevik.htm British - Bolshevik Navy Actions] ] .The British naval presence in the Baltic Sea was crucial to securing the independence of Estonia and Latvia.
Between the wars
Immediately following his Baltic experiences, Agar returned to Osea Island. On 20 July 1920 he married
Mary Dent, 19th Baroness Furnivall .Agar held a number of sea going commands between the wars. His first, in June 1920 was as
executive officer aboard HMS "Chatham", a 5,400 tonlight cruiser assigned to the newly formed New Zealand Naval Forces, later known as the New Zealand Division (then still part of the Royal Navy). In 1922 he was given command of HMS "Philomel", an obsolete cruiser of 2,575 tons used as a training ship for the New Zealand Division. These were very happy years for Agar, in a friendly country with interesting work and regular cruises through the South Seas.On January 1, 1924, at the request of King George V, Agar was appointed captain of the Royal Yacht
HMS Victoria and Albert , another pleasant duty. He served until January, 1925.A great professional assignment in April, 1926 was command of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet. The commander in chief, Admiral Sir
Roger Keyes , specifically asked for Agar. Keyes was an outstanding leader and brought the fleet to the height of its efficiency. The Flotilla consisted of four ships, and Agar commanded the flotilla leader HMS "Witch" until July 1927.By the late 1920s Agar and his wife were living apart - they divorced in 1931. This probably had an adverse effect on his chances for promotion, keeping him from reaching
flag rank .After these assignments, Agar was sent on courses and on shore duty for several years, including a stint as naval advisor to the New Zealand Delegation to the
London Naval Conference of 1930.On 30 September 1930, Agar was placed in command of the
sloop HMS "Scarborough" attached to theNorth America and West Indies Squadron . During this time he married Ina Margaret Lindner inBermuda , a union which lasted the rest of his life. He served aboard the "Scarborough" until September 1932.Other seagoing commands followed, first in early 1936 aboard the 4,190 ton anti aircraft cruiser HMS "Curlew", part of the reserve fleet at the
Nore . Then, from 15 January 1937 he commanded his favourite ship, the 7,300 ton light cruiser HMS "Emerald", at 35 knots, with her sister, HMS "Enterprise", the fastest ships in the Royal Navy."Emerald" was attached to the
East India Station from January 1937 to July 1938. Agar then served as Captain of theRoyal Naval College atGreenwich , England, but with war in the offing he was returned to command of the "Emerald" in the summer of 1939.econd World War
HMS "Emerald", Gold Ingots and the North Atlantic Convoys
When war began on 3 September 1939 Agar was in command of the "Emerald" and, as in 1914, was directed to
Scapa Flow . His ship was soon ordered onto the "Northern Patrol", between theFaroe Islands andIceland to intercept any German merchant ships trying to return to their homeland. A second duty was to stop neutral ships and check forcontraband headed for Germany. "Emerald" had just returned to Scapa on October 1st, 1939 when Agar received "Top Secret" orders to proceed "with all despatch" to Plymouth, England.At 23.18 on October 3rd, Emerald dropped anchor in Plymouth. A short time later Agar was being briefed by
Rear Admiral Lancelot Holland on his mission. The written instructions are below. Two million pounds in gold bars is to be embarked in each ship to Halifax. A railway truck is expected to be placed alongside each ship about 01.00 October 7. Each truck is expected to contain 148 boxes each weighing 130 lbs. The total number of boxes is num- bered Z 298 to Z 741 inclusive. Guards are to be put on each truck on arrival at the ship. Embarkation is to commence about 06.30 or as soon as daylight permits. Adequate steps are to be taken for supervision of each box from unloading from truck to stowage in ship. Finally a receipt is to be forwarded to C in C Western Approaches on the attached form. (quoted in Draper, p 37)On October 7th, 1939 "Emerald" sailed from
Plymouth, England for Halifax, Nova Scotia with the gold bullion from theBank of England , bound forMontreal, Canada to be used to pay for American war materials. As this voyage was under the strictest secrecy, the crew were outfitted with tropical whites, to confuse German agents. In the company of the two old battleships, HMS "Revenge" and HMS "Resolution" and her sister ship, HMS "Enterprise", as well as the old cruiser HMS "Caradoc", she ran into some of the heaviest seas that Agar encountered. By the time they reached Halifax the "Emerald" had lost her ships boats,rafts and various depth charges, wires, shackles and other valuable equipment, not to mention her spotter plane, aFairey Seafox .Upon arrival in Halifax, "Emerald" was assigned to
North Atlantic convoy escort duty for the return voyage. The large convoy was filled with American munitions for the war effort. Since the "Emerald" had been designed and equipped for work in gentler climates this was very uncomfortable as well as dangerous duty. TheCanadian Red Cross provided a large supply of warm gloves, woolen scarves, sea boot stockings, leather headgear lined with wool and fur, and woolen underwear, for the crew were ill equipped to face winter storms with their tropical gear. The convoy lost two merchant ships to U boats on the trip to the United Kingdom.Among the convoys "Emerald" escorted was the first Canadian Troop Convoy, in November, 1939, when 7,500 troops reached Britain without incident. Convoy duty continued through the bitter winter of 1939/40. Agar's tour of duty as captain of the "Emerald" was completed in June 1940 after escorting a contingent of Canadian soldiers in the SS "Empress of Australia" to occupy
Iceland . In theClyde he handed over command of his beloved ship and departed with the cheers of his officers and crew ringing in his ears (Draper, p 51). He was then assigned to command the destroyer leader HMS "Malcolm" as head of the 16th Destroyer Flotilla based atHarwich . It was the first assignment in six months on temporary duty.Operation Lucid
Agar was in charge of the planning and execution of
Operation Lucid in September 1940, an attempt to hit the German wooden invasion barges at Boulogne andCalais , France, with incendiary material and set them alight. It was a desperate time and any measure, however risky, that could frustrate the German invasion plans was welcome. The plan had the personal backing ofWinston Churchill .Accompanied by various auxiliary vessels, Agar set off for Boulogne several times in September and October 1940 with four small ancient oil tankers filled with a special incendiary fuel (called "Agar's special mixture"). The wartime need for oil tankers was so great that only vessels unfit for convoy work were available to Agar. The very poor mechanical condition of these ships hampered the enterprise. Bad weather or mechanical breakdowns forced cancellation on the first attempts.
The last attempt seemed set to be successful until the command ship with Agar aboard, HMS "Hambledon", a
Hunt class destroyer , hit an acoustic mine mid-Channel and was severely damaged. She had to be towed back to England, being shelled by German coastal batteries on the French coast on the way back, but without receiving a hit.The season was now too late for another attempt and, in any case, the threat of invasion had receded.
Coastal Forces
On 25 November 1941, Agar was appointed Chief Staff Officer to the Rear Admiral commanding Coastal Forces. This was a critical position as the Germans were vigorously attacking the coastal convoys running down the
English Channel and up and down the east coast fromScotland to the northeast of England down toLondon . The threats were from aircraft, mines and fast German motor torpedo boats, calledE boats . Britain had let her coastal forces deteriorate since the days when Agar had himself commanded CMBs.One coastal convoy in the fall of 1940 lost fourteen of twenty-five ships between London and
Bristol . The toll on the East Coast convoys was just as great, with E-Boats a threat here, making a quick dash from ports in theLow Countries . The problem was that if coastal convoys were discontinued, the British rail network could not handle the extra traffic and factories would be idle for lack of raw materials. The vessels used in the coastal trade were small and specially designed for the service, and of limited utility on ocean convoys. The traffic in coal from the northeast of England to London was especially important.Agar worked hard in this role from November 1940 to July 1941 when he was given a new seagoing command.
HMS "Dorsetshire"
Augustus Agar was appointed captain of the 9,925 ton
heavy cruiser HMS "Dorsetshire" in August 1941. The ship carried a catapult operated reconnaissance aircraft (aSupermarine Walrus ), had a great range and was designed for finding and destroying enemy commerce raiders. She was assigned to convoy protection duty in theSouth Atlantic and left Scotland on her first mission escorting a slow convoy toSouth Africa with a stop en route atFreetown ,Sierra Leone .Based at Freetown, "Dorsetshire" worked with the cruisers HMS "Newcastle" and later HMS "Dunedin" and HMS "Devonshire". For a while they were joined by the aircraft carrier HMS "Eagle". Their task was to protect
Allied commerce in the South Atlantic from German surface raiders and submarines. Particular targets of the British cruisers were the supply ships which replenished German submarines and surface raiders. Without them the submarines would have to withdraw. The "Devonshire" sank the German commerce raider Atlantis on 22 November 1941.On 1 December 1941 "Dorsetshire" came upon the German supply ship "Python", which immediately attempted to flee. Since the area was one where merchant ships seldom ventured Agar fired two salvos at the ship, one before and one behind as a warning to stand to. At this the "Python" scuttled herself. "Dorsetshire" did not stop to pick up survivors as she knew that submarines were likely to be near.
One of the German
U Boat s heading to the "Python" to be refuelled spotted HMS "Dunedin" and sank her with a loss of 350 of her 500 man crew.Japanese in the Indian Ocean
"Dorsetshire" was berthed at the naval base at
Simonstown , South Africa on 7 December 1941 when theJapan ese attackedPearl Harbor and, soon after, British positions atHong Kong ,Shanghai and Malaya. She was immediately assigned to escort a convoy of British troops just arriving from Halifax in American transports, originally destined for theMiddle East , but now diverted toSingapore . She guided them toBombay and then returned toDurban to escort another convoy toAden andBombay . This was essential duty as these convoys were now vulnerable to attack by both German and Japanese raiders, passing by the less than friendlyVichy French island ofMadagascar . "Dorsetshire" then was assigned to escort a convoy to withdraw as many civilians from Singapore as possible before the island was overrun by the Japanese. She got them safely toColombo , Ceylon.Agar then was assigned a mission to transport and land a party of 100
Royal Marines in Burma to harass invading Japanese forces, giving the main forces time to evacuate Rangoon. "Dorsetshire" then escorted the last convoy to get out of Rangoon before it fell on 8 March 1942."Dorsetshire" was not equipped to operate in an area with enemy aircraft and Agar was attempting to add antiaircraft guns in Colombo and to dismantle and refit her engines and boilers to meet the challenges ahead when word arrived that an enemy fleet had entered the
Indian Ocean . For an account of the Japanese attack on British positions in theBay of Bengal seeIndian Ocean Raid . He stopped his refit, reassembled his machinery and put to sea as fast as he could. Acting on information that the Japanese fleet had turned back, Admiral Somerville ordered "Dorsetshire" back into Colombo to finish the refit. Agar again began to dismantle his machinery and clean his boilers. He was told by the port admiral that anti aircraft guns would arrive in two days for his ship. It was a Saturday, 4 April, the day before Easter.The "Dorsetshire" was part of a scratch fleet of obsolete British battleships with two small obsolete aircraft carriers and attached cruisers hurriedly put together to stem the Japanese naval advance into the
Indian Ocean . Admiral James Somerville had moved the main part of the fleet to a secret base atAddu Atoll in theMaldives , as he knew that his fleet was no match for the Japanese. His main duty was to keep the sea lanes open toIndia , to thePersian Gulf oilfields and to the Eighth Army inEgypt , at that time attempting to stop the German and Italian armies under GeneralErwin Rommel .End of the Dorsetshire
"Dorsetshire" was in some ways a victim of the lack of British intelligence about the capabilities of the Japanese fleet. Neither Agar nor Somerville had any idea that the range of Japanese naval dive bombers was almost twice that of comparative British aircraft. To survive after getting a second warning of the presence of a large westbound Japanese Fleet in the Indian Ocean he would have had to leave Colombo as fast as possible and head west at top speed.
On Saturday afternoon, 4 April 1942 an urgent message summoned Agar to the base Operations Room in Colombo. A Consolidated Catalina
flying boat had just reported that it was shadowing a large force of enemy carriers accompanied by battleships steering west from theMalacca Straits , directly for Ceylon. This was the fleet of AdmiralNagumo .Admiral Somerville was in the Maldives beyond the immediate reach of the advancing Japanese. Upon receiving the news he moved further out of Nagumo's way and ordered the "Dorsetshire" and HMS "Cornwall", which was also in Colombo, to join him with all speed. He left the choosing of a rendezvous point to the admiral commanding in Colombo. It took six long hours to reassemble the ships machinery and get her ready for sea. The two cruisers left Colombo harbour at 10pm on 4 April. The rendezvous point was approved by Admiral Somerville. It was a fatal error as a more westerly rendezvous point would have saved the two ships. The ships could steam at only 28 knots, the top speed that "Cornwall" could make.
At daybreak,
Easter Sunday , 5 April 1942, Agar received a signal that the Japanese Fleet was only 120 miles south of Colombo. They began an attack on the port at 8 am. No further communication was received from Colombo (their radio tower was hit).At this point, lacking further direction, as Somerville was maintaining radio silence and Colombo was out of action, Agar made a fatal decision. He saw his first duty as rejoining the fleet in the hopes of launching a night attack on the Japanese and opted to continue on southwards to the rendezvous point instead of heading due west out of the danger zone. At 11:30 am a Japanese patrol aircraft spotted them. There were six hours of daylight left. Agar continued on to the rendezvous point. He broke radio silence to tell Somerville of his decision. The rendezvous point was 90 miles away.
The two ships were caught by Japanese
dive bombers at 1pm onEaster Sunday , 5 April 1942 and the" Dorsetshire" sank eight minutes after the first bomb hit. She went down at 13:50 after being struck by 10 bombs. 234 men were killed and 500 including the Captain survived in the water until rescue 32 hours later. 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 andpetty officer s. The "Cornwall" was sunk as well.Agar worked hard to save his crew, picking up the wounded in a
whaler , gathering up stragglers and giving good advice. He was reported by survivors as speaking calmly.A
Fairey Swordfish found the men in the water the next afternoon and an hour later thelight cruiser HMS "Enterprise" and the destroyers HMS "Paladin" and HMS "Panther" arrived to rescue the survivors. Agar was taken aboard the "Paladin".During the engagement Agar had been wounded in the leg by shrapnel. This wound turned septic as a result of being left unattended after the sinking. When the "Dorsetshire" sank, Agar had been dragged down deep and suffered the bends while coming up, suffering serious damage to his lungs. On the surface he swallowed oil. These injuries affected his fitness for further seagoing duty. He was 52 and had completed thirty-seven years of active duty. After a short stay in
Bombay where his health took a turn for the worse, he was sent to hospital inSouth Africa . The leg healed, but lung trouble from the bends and oil he swallowed stayed with him for the rest of his life. He arrived in Britain on 28 May 1942.Discussion of the loss
The British paid dearly for underestimating Japanese capabilities. After
Pearl Harbor , the loss of HMS "Repulse" and "Prince of Wales" and the fall of Singapore one might have expected greater caution. Augustus Agar's seafaring days ended close to where he was born 52 years before.It is easy to assess blame afterwards, but it did seem unwise to sent "Dorsetshire" back to Colombo for a second time to finish her refit with a huge Japanese Fleet threatening. This was Somerville's decision. But, of course we do not know what other viable choices he had. Certainly, South Africa was a safe place for a refit, but it was so far away that Dorsetshire could not get back in time to assist him. He needed every ship. Was Bombay too crowded? Did the ship really need the refit at this critical juncture? It must be remembered that Somerville had to choose his time for battle carefully. If he was caught in the open, he would surely lose to the larger Japanese Fleet with all its dive bombers and torpedo bombers. He had divided his fleet into a fast part and a slow part, with the latter in reserve. "Dorsetshire" was assigned to the fast division where speed was essential for a fast night attack, in and out before aircraft could reach them. Hence Somerville's insistence on a refit to increase her speed.
The rendezvous point for the cruisers with the main British fleet was set too far east, too close to the Japanese. This was the port admiral's decision. Agar should have fled due west at dawn when he heard how close the Japanese were. But this is hindsight. He had no reason to believe that Somerville would not show up at the rendezvous point, expecting the help of two cruisers for a night attack on the Japanese aircraft carriers. He knew he was taking a great risk.
Character and Manner
Augustus Agar was described by Alfred Draper in his book, "Operation Fish", as a "...slim, impeccably-uniformed man with an extremely courteous manner...". He had a reputation for expecting a lot from his men, but looking out for their best interest as well. Arriving in Plymouth on Sunday, October 29th, 1939 after a gruelling two months of continuous sea duty in the North Atlantic, he was informed that he had to get his damaged ship ready for sea in six days. He sent his men home for a much needed rest and stayed himself to personally supervise dockyard repairs. He devised a means (drawing on his Murmansk experience in 1917-18) of getting steam heat into the mess decks, so that the men coming from and going onto duty in the cold could get a "warm up".
Later life
After leave for a month, the less than fit Agar was sent to
Belfast to supervise the building and completion of the newaircraft carrier , HMS "Unicorn". He worked on this assignment for a period and was placed on the retired list in 1943.He achieved the rank of Commodore in 1943 when he was once again appointed President and Captain of the
Royal Naval College atGreenwich . He served in this capacity until 1946.Agar wrote two noteworthy books about his naval career. In his retirement he farmed at
Alton, Hampshire , England. His farm produced strawberries. His clubs were the Athenaeum and theRoyal Yacht Squadron .Augustus Agar died on 30 December 1968 and was buried at Alton. His will was probated at 9,580 pounds sterling on 28 March 1969.
His second wife, Ina, attended HMS "Dorsetshire" reunions after his death.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Imperial War Museum , London, along with his telescope. His other medals and various papers are in storage there, including a receipt for gold bullion delivered to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1939.HM Coastal Motor Boat 4 , his boat in the Baltic, is on permanent display at theImperial War Museum ,Duxford .References
*
Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
*Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*Footprints in the Sea (Augustus Agar), London, Evans Brothers, 1959
*Baltic Episode (Augustus Agar) Naval Institute Press, 1963
*"The Keyes Papers, Volume II, 1919-1938", Ed. Paul Halpern, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1980
*Operation Fish , Alfred Draper, General Publishing Co. Ltd., Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, 1979External links
* [http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/hampshir.htm Burial location of Agustus Agar] "(Hampshire)"
* [http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/cciwm.htm Location of Agustus Agar's Victoria Cross] "Imperial War Museum"Agar also wrote "Showing the flag", 1962 Evans Brothers Ltd, London
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