Oneman
Местный
Биография этого уроженца Бомбея.
Colonel Edward Agar was born on 30 May 1859 in Bombay, India, the son of Major Edward Walter Agar, late Bombay Infantry, and Eliza Agar (née Cordelia). Educated at Cheltenham College between August 1870-76, during which time he won numerous academic prizes. He attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, between 1876-78, where he ‘passed in’ First in order of merit, and ‘passed out’ First Engineer, having won the Pollock Gold Medal and Prizes for Mathematics and Mechanics, German, Spanish, and Italian. He joined the Royal Engineers in 1877, being promoted to Captain in 1888, Major in 1896, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1903, and Colonel in 1908. He passed staff college in 1886, qualified in German as a voluntary subject and in Russian as an extra subject, and served subsequently as Staff Captain (Intelligence), Headquarters of Army, 1891-94; Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General (Intelligence), Headquarters of Army, 1894-96. Agar served in the Boer War of 1900-02, in command of the 26th Company, Royal Engineers, and took part in the operations in the Orange River Colony, and in the Transvaal (for which he was mentioned in despatches). According to the book ‘Spies in Uniform’ by Matthew S. Seligmann, Agar was apparently considered for the role of military attaché in Berlin in May 1903 (this a quite typical ‘cover’ position for an Intelligence Officer within an embassy). Unfortunately, at this stage in the early development of British Intelligence, officers were expected to be of sufficient private ‘means’ to self-fund, and to pay for their own accommodation and often quite lavish lifestyle. Despite being considered ‘a very cheery little fellow’ who had ‘quite nice manners…and the necessary tact and discretion’ for a sensitive post, in his case (and at this time) Agar was not considered to be wealthy enough, despite his merits as an individual [this would begin to change during and after WWI]. Consequently, he was chosen very soon after to serve abroad on attachment to the Japanese Army in Manchuria between July and September 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War. No doubt serving in an intelligence capacity, he was the author of a report on Russian and Japanese Field Defences (for which he received the Japanese War Medal and 3rd class Order of Sacred Treasure). This aspect of his service, in particular, is well worthy of further research. Colonel Agar retired in 1911 but was then recalled in 1914 to serve as a General Staff Officer, First Class (G.S.O.1) at the War Office between 1914 and 17. Between 1917 and 20 he was Colonel in charge of records, Royal Engineers (Transport Section), and in the years after the war, Colonel Agar served as British Representative on the Dano-German Boundary Commission 1920-21, by which the Duchy of Slesvig was returned to the Danish Crown. Colonel Agar died in France on 28 October 1930.
Colonel Edward Agar was born on 30 May 1859 in Bombay, India, the son of Major Edward Walter Agar, late Bombay Infantry, and Eliza Agar (née Cordelia). Educated at Cheltenham College between August 1870-76, during which time he won numerous academic prizes. He attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, between 1876-78, where he ‘passed in’ First in order of merit, and ‘passed out’ First Engineer, having won the Pollock Gold Medal and Prizes for Mathematics and Mechanics, German, Spanish, and Italian. He joined the Royal Engineers in 1877, being promoted to Captain in 1888, Major in 1896, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1903, and Colonel in 1908. He passed staff college in 1886, qualified in German as a voluntary subject and in Russian as an extra subject, and served subsequently as Staff Captain (Intelligence), Headquarters of Army, 1891-94; Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General (Intelligence), Headquarters of Army, 1894-96. Agar served in the Boer War of 1900-02, in command of the 26th Company, Royal Engineers, and took part in the operations in the Orange River Colony, and in the Transvaal (for which he was mentioned in despatches). According to the book ‘Spies in Uniform’ by Matthew S. Seligmann, Agar was apparently considered for the role of military attaché in Berlin in May 1903 (this a quite typical ‘cover’ position for an Intelligence Officer within an embassy). Unfortunately, at this stage in the early development of British Intelligence, officers were expected to be of sufficient private ‘means’ to self-fund, and to pay for their own accommodation and often quite lavish lifestyle. Despite being considered ‘a very cheery little fellow’ who had ‘quite nice manners…and the necessary tact and discretion’ for a sensitive post, in his case (and at this time) Agar was not considered to be wealthy enough, despite his merits as an individual [this would begin to change during and after WWI]. Consequently, he was chosen very soon after to serve abroad on attachment to the Japanese Army in Manchuria between July and September 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War. No doubt serving in an intelligence capacity, he was the author of a report on Russian and Japanese Field Defences (for which he received the Japanese War Medal and 3rd class Order of Sacred Treasure). This aspect of his service, in particular, is well worthy of further research. Colonel Agar retired in 1911 but was then recalled in 1914 to serve as a General Staff Officer, First Class (G.S.O.1) at the War Office between 1914 and 17. Between 1917 and 20 he was Colonel in charge of records, Royal Engineers (Transport Section), and in the years after the war, Colonel Agar served as British Representative on the Dano-German Boundary Commission 1920-21, by which the Duchy of Slesvig was returned to the Danish Crown. Colonel Agar died in France on 28 October 1930.
