Agar, Augustus Willington Shelton (Oral history)

British officer commanded Royal Navy coastal motor boats transporting MI6 agents into Russia, 1919; awarded Victoria Cross for sinking Russian cruiser Oleg at Kronstadt, 17/6/1919

REEL 1 Recollections of operations as officer with Royal Navy in North Russia, 1919: operations with coastal motor boats based at Osea Island, Essex; reason for being sent to North Russia; description of motor boats and armaments; question of wearing civilian clothes; description of duties transporting secret agents from Finland across the Baltic Sea to Estonia and Russia; role of Admiral Cowan in requisitioning Royal Naval destroyer to tow motorboats; opinion of Admiral Cowan; question of carrying torpedoes; reason for carrying naval uniforms on boats; crews; motorboats towed to Gulf of Finland by HMS Voyager; loaded with supplies and armed with torpedoes; description of base at Terijoki, Finland; concealed harbour; use of dacha as HQ; purpose of mission to contact main agent SD 25 in Russia; description of voyage from Terijoki to mouth of River Neva; problem of navigation of breakwaters; landed agent Sokolov; weather conditions; design of motor boats; further comments on breakwaters; reconnaissance of Russian naval positions in Kronstadt. REEL 2 Continues: description of Gulf of Finland and fortifications; observation of rebellion at Kronstadt; problem of firing torpedo; description of sinking Russian cruiser Oleg, 17/Jun/1919; observation post in church steeple at Terijoki; reaction of Finnish Army commandant to sinking of Oleg; memory of seeing wreck of Oleg from air; reaction of Admiral Cowan to sinking of Oleg; adverse comments on sinking in GB; awarded Victoria Cross.