Sir Fitzroy (Roy) Augier was born on December 17, 1924 in Castries, St. Lucia to a middle class family. His father, Frank, died when he was 10 years old. After her husband’s death, his mother Lucie worked hard to raise three boys on her own. Roy, the eldest, attended secondary school, which was fairly unusual in the region at that time, and left school at the age of 16. Unable to go to university, and filled with the spirit of adventure, Roy knew that his destiny was not to be found in St. Lucia.
In the midst of World War II, recruitment efforts were underway in the West Indies. At 17, young Roy left the familiarity of home and joined the Royal Air Force, despite his mother’s tears. It was his intention to go to university afterwards, without knowing at the outset that all members of the forces would have their university paid for.
He saw combat between 1942/43 as a rear gunner on an all-West Indian crew that included two Trinidadians, a Bajan and a prominent Jamaican, John Hearne (who would go on to become an acclaimed novelist and journalist). When the war ended, he continued to serve with a Maintenance Unit in Lincolnshire until 1946.
After the war, Augier was finally able to continue his education. In 1946, he accepted an offer from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where he studied Politics and History as an undergraduate. He went on to the University of London for Postgraduate studies, and was awarded his PhD in 1954.
In 1954, Augier joined the staff of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University College of the West Indies (UCWI) in Mona, Jamaica. He became a member of the History department the following year. He went on to spend his entire career here, through the change to the University of the West Indies (The UWI), and beyond, and is remembered as one of the architects of the UWI’s History curriculum, along with the late Professor Elsa Goveia and the late Professor Douglas Hall.
In 1959, Augier married Leila Gibbs, a Trinidadian. Together, they raised two sons, Richard and Kenny, and a daughter, Simone.