Augustus Willington Shelton Agar VC DSO was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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He was 29 years old, and a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the North Russia Relief Force when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 17 June 1919 at Kronstadt, Russia, Lieutenant Agar took HM Coastal Motor Boat 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.
Agar's mother, who was an Austrian, died shortly after his birth and at the age of eight he was sent with one of his brothers to school in England.
Agar then served as Captain of The Royal Naval College at Greenwich, England, but with war in the offing he was returned to command of the Emerald in the summer of 1939.
Agar's tour of duty as captain of the Emerald was up in late May 1940 and he spent the next 6 months on temporary duty, first as commander of the 16th destroyer flotilla at Harwich.
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