Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae, (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and military historian. He became the last British-born

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...

Early life and family

Fergusson was the third son and fourth child of

Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951), was a British Army officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand. Early life and military career Fergusson was the son of Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, th ...

, and his wife Lady Alice Mary Boyle, a daughter of

David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, (31 May 1833 – 13 December 1915), was a British naval commander and colonial governor. He served as Governor of New Zealand between 1892 and 1897. Background Boyle was the son of Patrick Boyle (eldest son of D ...

. His older brother was

Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet of Kilkerran, (1904–1973) was a Scottish aristocrat, broadcaster, journalist and historian. Life Fergusson was born in Dailly in Ayrshire on 18 September 1904 the son of Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet of K ...

, of Kilkerran. Both of his grandfathers had previously served as Governors of New Zealand and his father had served as Governor-General. On 22 November 1950 Fergusson married Laura Margaret Grenfell (14 April 1920−1979), daughter of Arthur Morton Grenfell and sister of Dame Frances Campbell-Preston. Laura was accidentally killed in 1979 when gales blew a tree onto the car in which she was travelling. She and Bernard had one child, the

Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...

George Duncan Raukawa Fergusson (b. 30 September 1955), who served as

British High Commissioner to New Zealand The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to New Zealand is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in New Zealand, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in New Zealand. As the United Kingdom and New Zealand are fellow memb ...

from 2006 to 2010 and

Governor of Bermuda The Governor of Bermuda (fully the ''Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)'') is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this a ...

from 2012.

Military career, 1931–1946

Fergusson was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

. From the latter, he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

into the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

on 27 August 1931. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 27 August 1934. He served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in the

British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to: * Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. * Mandatory P ...

during the

Arab revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...

and later became aide-de-camp (ADC) to Major General

Archibald Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

, then General Officer Commanding of the 2nd Infantry Division in England, on 11 March 1937. In October 1937, he was on

secondment Secondment is the assignment of a member of one organisation to another organisation for a temporary period. Job rotation The employee typically retains their salary and other employment rights from their primary organization but they work close ...

to the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

. Fergusson was promoted to captain on 27 August 1939, only a few days before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1940, Fergusson was serving as a

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

for the 46th Infantry Brigade before becoming a general staff officer in the Middle East. In October 1943 he was promoted to acting brigadier and given command of the 16th Infantry Brigade, which was converted into a

Chindit The Chindits, officially as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The British Army Brigadier Orde Wingate form ...

formation for operations in the deep jungles of

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

miles behind Japanese lines. He commanded this brigade throughout the Chindit operations of 1944 before becoming Director of Combined Operations from 1945 to 1946. He ended the war as a major (war-substantive lieutenant-colonel). After the war, Fergusson held various positions, including command of the 1st Battalion,

Service in Palestine, 1946–1947

In 1946, having failed to be elected to Parliament, Fergusson returned to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

during the

Palestine Emergency A successful paramilitary campaign was carried out by Zionist underground groups against British rule in Mandatory Palestine from 1944 to 1948. The tensions between the Zionist underground and the British mandatory authorities rose from 1938 an ...

as a brigadier and joined the

Palestine Police Force The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920,Sinclair, 2006. when High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from Gener ...

. At first he commanded the "Police Mobile Force", a unit of 2,000 armed PPF personnel trained as

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

and used as a

quick reaction force In military science nomenclature, a quick reaction force (QRF) is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, typically to assist allied units in need of such assistance. They are to have equipment ready to res ...

against Zionist paramilitary groups. By the end of 1946 the unit was disbanded, by the order of the PPF commandant, Col. William Nicol Gray. Fergusson took command of a police school that was to be created in

Jenin Jenin (; ar, ') is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine and is a major center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, Jenin had a population of app ...

, but soon he was appointed by Gray as "special assistant to the commandant of police". Fergusson suggested to Gray, who was himself a former

Royal Marine The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

, that special units be formed to fight against Zionist paramilitaries. These units would include former soldiers who had served in the British

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

during the war. Gray accepted the idea and ordered the creation of two undercover police units, whose members were selected from serving PPF policemen and former special forces soldiers. One unit would operate in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

and the north, while the second unit would operate in the

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

area. War hero

Roy Farran Major Roy Alexander Farran (2 January 1921 – 2 June 2006) was a British-Canadian soldier, politician, farmer, author and journalist. He was highly decorated for his exploits with the Special Air Service (SAS) during the Second World War. Far ...

was appointed as the commander of the second team. On 6 May 1947, Farran's police unit arrested 16-year-old Alexander Rubowitz, who was putting up posters in

for a Zionist paramilitary organisation, Lehi. Rubowitz was taken by Farran's team, and tortured to force him to surrender his friend's names. The boy did not survive the torture. His body was dumped and never found. Suspicions of Farran's involvement were first raised after a grey trilby hat bearing an indistinct name compatible with his, was found near the street corner where Rubowitz was seen being pushed into a car. In 2004 British secret documents were revealed that included a statement by Fergusson, from the time of the event, to the effect that Farran confessed to Fergusson of the murder. Fergusson then reported the incident to Gray. Gray was reluctant to take action against Farran, believing he could use some information produced from Rubowitz by Farran to defeat the Lehi in Jerusalem. Gray believed that arresting Farran would ruin these efforts. While Gray was on leave in England, the acting

CID CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...

commandant, Arthur Giles, ordered an investigation into Farran's actions. Farran escaped to Syria to avoid arrest, but was convinced by Fergusson to return voluntarily. He then escaped from custody and went to Jordan before again returning of his own accord. He was brought to trial in a British military court in Jerusalem. At Farran's trial, Fergusson refused to testify on grounds that he might incriminate himself. The Palestine government announced that no action would be taken against Fergusson. The trial ended with Farran's acquittal. Fergusson was relieved of his duties in Palestine and returned to Britain.

Military career, 1951–1958

Fergusson was brevetted to lieutenant colonel on 1 July 1951, promoted to lieutenant colonel on 5 March 1952, and promoted to colonel on 6 May 1952. He retired on 13 December 1958 with the honorary rank of brigadier.

Suez Crisis

Impressed by Fergusson's role in the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

Gerald Templer Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer, (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part in the crushing of the Arab Revolt in Palestine. As Chief of the Imperia ...

placed him in charge of

psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...

operations during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

, a joint invasion of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

by the British, French and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

is to take control of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. Despite drafting an extensive campaign of psychological warfare for use during the crisis, the actual operations when the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) commenced aerial campaigns against Egyptian targets were very different and ultimately made little impact on Egyptian morale or public opinion. Psychological warfare

radio broadcasts Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio sta ...

made under Fergusson's direction and directed at Egypt stated that President

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...

was under the influence of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

and urged Egyptians to attack Israel, which elicited diplomatic protests from future Israeli Prime Minister

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

Governor-General of New Zealand

In 1962, Fergusson was appointed

, serving until 1967. His father Sir Charles Fergusson had also been governor-general, and both of his grandfathers,

Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet (14 March 1832 – 14 January 1907) was a British soldier, Conservative politician and colonial administrator. Background and education Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Fergusson was the eldest son of Sir Charles ...

and

, had been Governors of New Zealand. Fergusson was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

on 10 July 1972 as Baron Ballantrae, ''of Auchairne in the ''County of

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

'' and The

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Lord Ballantrae served as

Chancellor of the University of St Andrews The Chancellor of the University of St Andrews is the titular head of the University of St Andrews. Their duties include conferring degrees, promoting the university's image throughout the world, and furthering the university's interests within ...

from 1973 until his death in 1980.

Memorial scholarship

The Bernard Fergusson Memorial Scholarship was established in 1982 by the late Maori Queen, Dame

Te Atairangikaahu Dame Te Atairangikaahu (23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui (meaning ''Paramount C ...

, from a fund raised on her behalf in memory of Fergusson, as he was a particular friend of the Tainui people. The purpose of the award is to assist a member of the

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are oth ...

Tribal Confederation resident in the Tainui Maori Trust Board area to enrol as an undergraduate student in the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

, who but for the award, might otherwise not be able to attend the university. Due to his relationship with Tainui, a Ngāruawāhia Primary School was named after him in 1966. Over the years, many students from the school would go on to receive the memorial scholarship.

Styles

*6 May 1911 – 5 August 1943: Bernard Edward Fergusson, Esq. *5 August 1943 – 8 June 1950: Bernard Edward Fergusson DSO *8 June 1950 – 3 September 1962: Bernard Edward Fergusson DSO, OBE *3 September – 9 November 1962: Sir Bernard Edward Fergusson GCMG, DSO, OBE *9 November 1962 – 11 February 1963: ''His Excellency'' Sir Bernard Edward Fergusson GCMG, DSO, OBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of New Zealand *11 February 1963 – 20 October 1967: ''His Excellency'' Sir Bernard Edward Fergusson GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of New Zealand *20 October 1967 – 10 July 1972: Sir Bernard Edward Fergusson GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE *10 July 1972 – 30 November 1974: The Rt. Hon. the Lord Ballantrae GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE *30 November 1974 – 28 November 1980: The Rt. Hon. the Lord Ballantrae KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE

Honours and awards

Arms

Bibliography

*''Eton Portrait'' (1937) London: John Miles Ltd. *''Beyond the Chindwin'' (1945) London:

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

''also'' Barnsley:

Pen & Sword Military Pen and Sword Books, also stylised as Pen & Sword, is a British publisher which specialises in printing and distributing books in both hardback and softback on military history, militaria and other niche subjects; factual non-fiction, primarily ...

(2009) *''Lowland Soldier'' (1945) London: Collins (verse) *''The Wild Green Earth'' (1946) London: Collins *''The Black Watch and the King's Enemies'' (1950) London: Collins ''also'' Derby: Pilgrim Press (1974) *''Rupert of the Rhine'' (1952) London: Collins *''The Rare Adventure'' (1954) London: Collins *''The Business of War: The War Narrative of Major-General Sir John Kennedy'' (1957) (editor) London: Hutchinson *''The Watery Maze: The Story of Combined Operations'' (1961) London: Collins *''Wavell: Portrait of a Soldier'' (1961) London: Collins *''Return to Burma'' (1962) London: Collins *''The Trumpet in the Hall 1930–1958'' (1970) London: Collins *''Captain John Niven'' (1972) London: Collins *''Hubble-Bubble'' (1978) London: Collins (light verse) *''Travel Warrant'' (1979) London: Collins

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson, Bernard 1911 births 1980 deaths Black Watch officers British Army brigadiers of World War II Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Governors-General of New Zealand Life peers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of the Thistle Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Chancellors of the University of St Andrews Younger sons of baronets Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency Children of national leaders British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine People from Maybole People of the British Council Military personnel from London Life peers created by Elizabeth II