EAST BELFAST CADETS REVEAL STORIES OF WW1 NAVAL HEORISM

A tale of Royal Naval heroism has inspired Cadets from East Belfast to find out more about World War 1. Their research was carried out as part of the Northern Ireland wide ‘Local Heroes’ history project.   

Sea Cadets from Training Ship Broadsword, based in East Belfast, chose as their ‘Local Hero’ the distinguished Captain Augustus Agar.  Agar served in the Royal Navy for 40 years, all over the world and in many different roles, with his bravery recognised with a VC and DSO.  He was also twice mentioned in Despatches. 

Blake Wilson, Ethan Wright and Tom Ellis discovered the background story of the man who always prided himself on having a touch of Irish luck when it was most needed!

Augustus Agar was born to an Irish father and Austrian mother in Ceylon in 1890, one of 13 children.  His mother died soon after his birth but Augustus was brought up in comfortable circumstances in a fine house with servants.  In 1902 the children were orphaned when their father died of Cholera.

His oldest brother and Trustees decided that the young ‘Gus’ should go into the Navy, as they could not afford expensive school fees … which marked the start of what would one day become an illustrious career at sea. 
Captain Augustus Willington Shelton Agar VC, DSO, RN (4 January 1890 – 30 December 1968) was a Royal Navy officer in both the First and Second World Wars. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for sinking a Soviet cruiser during the Russian Civil War. That mission was so secret that, at the time, his VC had to be kept strictly under wraps!

His action-filled career saw him survive four aircraft crashes – and countless adventures! –  and, during WW2,  he was responsible for taking the Bank of England gold reserves to safety in Canada.  

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.’
Blake Wilson says, “Our Local Hero lived a life that wouldn’t be out of place in a movie script, yet he seems to have remained a genuinely modest man and he was clearly popular with the people he served with.”

Ethan Wright adds, “Studying the life and times of ‘Gus’ as he was known to his friends, encouraged us to think much more deeply about what actually drives people to serve their country and what qualities and circumstances combine to make an individual stand out as a hero.”

Tom Ellis concludes, “Local Heroes gave a whole new dimension to history lessons and it was an interesting and valuable challenge for us – a bit less adventurous than the majority of Cadet exercises, but something that we will always remember.”