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inmemoriam

LIEUTENANT OLIVER RICHARD AUGUSTIN ROYAL MARINES

JULIET COMPANY 42 COMMANDO ROYAL MARINES - COMBINED FORCE NAD-E ALI (NORTH)

Lieutenant Ollie Augustin Royal Marines was born in Kent on 16 March 1988. He attended Dartford Grammar School before leaving aged 18 to spend a year travelling. During this time he spent 2 months volunteering at a school in Kenya before travelling down to South Africa through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana. He then flew on to Australia where he spent 6 months working, before concluding his travels in New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii. On return, whilst undergoing the application procedure to join the Royal Marines as a Commissioned Officer, he studied at Bexley College and was employed as a fitter and plasterer.

Lieutenant Augustin Royal Marines began Officer Training in September 2009, passing fit for duty in December 2010. His first appointment was in Command of Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines.

On Friday 27 May 2011 Lieutenant Augustin was leading a patrol, operating in the Loy Mandeh area of the Nad-e Ali district in Helmand province. His patrol was tasked to disrupt insurgent activity in their perceived rear area and provide depth to the Clear, Hold, Build Operation occurring to the north in Loy Mandeh Kalay further to expand
the influence of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. During that patrol Lieutenant Augustin was fatally injured in an Improvised Explosive Device blast that also claimed the life of Marine Sam Alexander MC.

He leaves behind his father Sean, his mother Jane and his sister Sarah. Lieutenant Augustin's mum and dad, Jane and Sean, said:



"Ollie was a much loved and cherished son. He was a beautiful boy who we
were very proud of. He had many friends that he loved and who loved him
in return.

"His warmth and humour lit a room and infected all around him. He dealt
with people in a thoughtful and compassionate way. His independence and
sense of adventure meant that he embraced life and his chosen path.

"Ollie we will all love and miss you forever."

Lieutenant Augustin's sister, Sarah, said:

"Oli, you were a one in a million. You were brave, you were funny and I
couldn't have wished for a better brother.

"You were so very special and made a lasting impression on anybody lucky
enough to meet you.

"I will love you forever."

Lieutenant Augustin's Aunt Jane, said:

"For Ollie...

"What can I say about Ollie that hasn't already been said a million
times over!

"He was a kind & generous man, warm hearted and full of fun...

"He never tired of life - When we cycled Land's End to John O'Groats at
the end of a very long day in Scotland 70 miles or so in, he came back
down a hill to see where I'd got to and to cycle back up with me... I
remember him saying 'when we finish this challenge what about signing up
for another 100 mile race later in the month?'

The reply I gave wasn't very printable, but he just smiled back at me &
said he would ask me again after breakfast tomorrow!

"That irrepressible love of life is what I will always take with me &
the piece of my heart I have lost with Ollie's passing...

"Love always, Jane xx

Lieutenant Augustin's Aunty Alison, said:

"For Ollie...

"Ollie I loved you for your humour, your wit, your sense of fun, your
bravado and the legendry 'Augustin' sarcasm.

"You now leave us with a huge hole in our lives, we are all so proud of
you, we love you and will miss you forever.

"Love Alison xx"

Lieutenant Augustin's Uncle Adam, said:

"I am not sure whether I don't know what to say, or if I just don't know
where to start, such is the hole the loss of Oliver has left in the
lives of everyone who has ever known him. Not just his family, but also
his friends and, I am sure, his colleagues.

"His love of his sister Sarah, mum Jane, his dad Sean and Grandfather
Dick was obvious to everyone, but for me the love of life that he
demonstrated over the last few years is what made him truly remarkable.
His mischievous grin; as he witnessed me convince his father to buy an
MV August motorcycle on a whim. How he boldly strode off into Africa and
around the world on a gap year, or how he just calmly rode pillion as I
rode the Antrim coast road as hard as I could, nothing appeared to faze
him.

"It was with this same apparent calmness he joined the Royal Marines.
He gave his all during training. He didn't just want to pass he wanted
to excel and I cannot begin to tell you how proud I was of him when he
was awarded his Green Commando beret.

"I spoke to him before he joined his Unit at 42 Commando and he told me
that he had met his new Sergeant during his training. The Sergeant had
bemoaned having "no nothing Captains" in charge of the Fire Support
Group and Oliver worried how he would react to a real "no nothing
Lieutenant" straight out of training! He hoped his Sergeant didn't
remember the conversation or indeed him, but his new goal was to learn
everything from his men and become the best Royal Marine that he could
be.

"I spoke to him again just before he was posted to Afghanistan and his
concerns solely revolved around his mum and sister, whose hearts were
breaking, and also for his men. He was determined not to let his men
down and, despite his short time with them, he held them all in the
greatest regard. He had great stories of training and was looking
forward to testing himself in what he had trained so hard for.

"I showed him a text that I had been sent that said;

"Life is not a game that you aim to get to the finishing line in
pristine condition, but one that you should slide over the line,
battered, covered in dirt and grazes, but with a huge grin and shouting,
Wow what a ride!"

"Oliver laughed and agreed, and then we hid it from his mum and the rest
of the table.

"I will miss Oliver for the rest of my life, but I will try every day to
live up to his example and will chase every opportunity and challenge
with the same drive that he did.

"We will remember you and every one of the 367 that went before and
those who will unfortunately follow."

Lieutenant Augustin's cousin, Mark, said:

"Oliver,

"A truly remarkable young man who had achieved so much during such a
short life.

"We are all shocked and devastated at the news of his untimely death. My
overriding memories of him will be of a funny, talented, driven,
committed and fun-loving man, loved and admired by all who knew him. He
will be sorely missed by all his family, friends and colleagues alike.

"We are forever proud of him, and he'll be forever in our hearts...

Viks, a family friend, said:

"Ollie,

"I cannot believe that you will no longer be in our lives. You will be
missed...

"Dinners out will never be the same without your mischievous grin,
digging at someone or another. The world we inhabit is much diminished
by your absence, you could have turned your hand to be anything.

"Good, honorable, loyal and true.

"Love Viks xx"

Lieutenant Augustin's best friends from home, said:

"To Ollie,

"Our best friend, our hero, our idol.

"He was everything he wanted to be - and more! He touched the lives of
everyone he met. He stood out from the crowd and always put others
before himself.

"So much to do in so little time! He will be sorely missed by us all."

Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Murchison MBE, Commanding Officer 42 Commando
Royal Marines, Coalition Force Nad-e Ali (North), said:

"Lieutenant Ollie Augustin Royal Marines was a Troop Commander with
considerable potential and a bright future ahead of him. Despite only
passing for duty a matter of months ago, he had already made a
considerable impact within Juliet Company and across the Unit. A
charismatic young man, with a keen sense of humour, he was the life and
soul of any gathering and he touched all those who had dealings with
him. As a leader he was inspirational, passionate and selfless, putting
the welfare of his men above all else - they adored him and looked to
him for direction, but looked on him as a brother in arms. As a Marine
he was utterly professional, dependable and tactically astute. At the
time his life was tragically cut short he was characteristically leading
from the front, taking the fight to the enemy; his audacity, commitment
and courage clear for all to see. 42 Commando have lost a brave, young
warrior; the loss is keenly felt and the pain cuts deep. However, our
grief is nothing compared to that of his loved ones; at this difficult
time our thoughts and prayers are with his mother Jane, his father Sean
and his sister Sarah."

Major Steven McCulley Royal Marines, Officer Commanding Juliet Company,
42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"Lieutenant Ollie Augustin was the epitome of a Royal Marines Officer.
Selected from training to Command a Fire Support Group due to his
professional ability. I was immediately impressed by the way in which no
task was too difficult or onerous for him. Utterly reliable, he clearly
relished leading Marines and his lads loved him. It is truly tragic that
his life has been cut short and I will always remember him."

Captain Rob Garside Royal Marines, Company Intelligence Officer, Juliet
Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"Having handed the Juliet Company Fire Support Group to Ollie Augustin,
I was soon aware I passed on the Troop to a very professional, focussed
and driven Royal Marines Commando Officer. He took his job very
seriously and he looked after and cared for those under his command. A
quality individual, an impressive Bootneck Young Officer, he will be
sorely missed by all those who worked with him and knew him."

Lieutenant Lloyd Fallesen Royal Marines, Officer Commanding 1 Troop,
Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"Ollie Augustin was a one in a million friend who will be missed by all
that knew him. His ability to make all around him smile, even in the
most adverse circumstances, meant that he was always someone you could
turn to if you needed cheering up. A loyal friend, Ollie was someone you
could count on regardless of the circumstances. This also earned him the
respect of his men, a job which he not only loved, but lived and
breathed. Ollie was a true Bootneck through and through, he will be
sorely missed by all that knew him."

Lieutenant Tom Phillips Royal Marines, Officer Commanding 2 Troop,
Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"Ollie was simply an inspiration to those who had the pleasure of
working with him. Always cheerful with a terrific sense of humour, he
was a bastion of morale whenever times seemed hard. He was immensely
proud of the job he did and the men that he had the honour of leading.
His sense of humour was only topped by his professionalism and diligence
in anything he did in life. He was a dear friend who will be sorely
missed by everyone who knew him."

Sergeant Rob Driscoll, Multiple Commander 3, Juliet Company, 42 Commando
Royal Marines, said:

"I had the privilege to get to know Lieutenant Augustin, Boss, Ollie,
during the latter half of Pre-Deployment Training and during Operation
HERRICK 14. As a young officer he was top of his game, both physically
and mentally. He was a natural leader who quickly gained the respect of
the men under his charge. As a fellow Multiple Commander we deployed
together and Ollie was always at the centre of any banter and had a
quick wit about him. He will be sorely missed by Juliet Company and my
thoughts are with his friends and family."

Marine Jason Badham, 1 Troop, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines,
said:

"Lieutenant Augustin aka 'Small Boss' was such a nice bloke and would
always dig out blind to help his oppos (opposite numbers). He was a
brilliant Troop Commander and will be greatly missed."

Marine Michael Chapman, Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando
Royal Marines, said:

"'The Boss'; I think he enjoyed being called that and rightly so. He was
easily the best all round Boss I have ever worked with. What a great
bloke. He could easily be classed as one of the lads from his constant
funnies, positive attitude and 'dit' spinning. He really knew how the
lads worked and had an endless amount of patience with every single
person in the Troop. I could easily call him a mate; he was never shy to
dig into his deep officer pockets either, e.g. when he joined us in the
Fire Support Group accommodation with as much alcohol as he could carry.

"Out on the ground he definitely gave the lads a 'warm and fuzzy' and I
was proud to be under his Command. He was a hands-on Boss who hated the
computer but loved the adrenalin rush. I believe he would have excelled
in the Corps and definitely saw him in a Special Forces role. He was
also known as 'Boss Biceps' when he first joined us with his shirt
sleeves rolled right up high. He could boast he was a very strong minded
and physical bloke, and will be missed throughout the Corps."

Marine Louis Nethercott, Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando
Royal Marines, said:

"Boss Augustin was a professional and organised soldier, an absolute
role model for any young Marine. More one of the lads than an Officer;
after going ashore several times with him he would never let the lads
buy him a wet. An inspiration to me, he will be missed by all the lads
in Fire Support Group. A great Boss and an even better mate. Cheers for
all the wets, next rounds on me!"

Marine Liam Kelly, Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal
Marines, said:

"I can definitely say, and I know Fire Support Group agrees, that the
Boss was easily the best Boss you could ask for. He was extremely
professional and I always felt safe on the ground with him. He was,
through and through one of the lads, always squaring us away and
cracking funnies. The Boss was one of the friendliest people I have ever
met in the Corps and as a new Boss; he would have gone very far in his
career."

Marine Brett Newman, Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"'The Boss', as he was known to the lads, was like no other Boss and
will never be replaced in any shape or form. He never separated himself
from the lads whether we were in the room playing FIFA or chipping in on
Sentry; he even came to the Fire Support Group accommodation for
parties....a 'hoofing man'. He used to sit with the lads and open his
parcels in front of us, moaning about the value bags his family bought,
showing us his single razor he got in every box. Brilliant shield for
the lads as we are a bit 'Over The Top' in all that we do. He was one in
a million and will always be remembered."

Marine Sam Magowan, Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, said:

"Boss, you will be missed by all; a brilliant Troop Boss. A massive blow to the Troop. Rest in Peace."

The entire Fire Support Group, Juliet Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines said:

"An inspiration to all who had the pleasure to work with him. A friend
first and a Boss second. A tremendous loss to us all. You will not be
forgotten. May you Rest in Peace."

Latest from icasualties.org

British military casualties - Editorial policy

In the service of our country.

Eulogies for all personnel killed on UK operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere are posted as soon as they have been released by the UK Ministry of Defence. Each eulogy we publish for men down in operations brings a lump to the throat. We are losing the best of the best. Politicians must ensure that, when the newspaper cuttings have faded, their sacrifice has had some meaning, has helped bring about a good result. Anything else would be a waste for which they will be eternally condemned.

There is invariably at least a 24 hour gap between the official release of news of an event and the naming of the dead. This is to allow families to be informed and proper eulogoies to be produced. Occasionally families request no euologies or comment. We abide by guidance we receive on such sensitive matters. We regret that information on those who sacrifice almost as much through grave injury is seldom released by the MoD for operational reasons, and so we are unable to pay tribute.

 

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