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. I ...

Maurice Alfred Fergusson, (5 December 1895 – 27 September 1975) was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

officer who served during both

World Wars A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

Early life

Fergusson was born at Caulfield in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to Mauritian-born bank manager Ernest Fairchild Fergusson and Alfritha Elizabeth, ''née'' Turner. He attended

University High School, Melbourne , motto_translation = With Zeal and Loyalty , established = , type = Government-funded co-educational secondary day school , principal = Ciar Foster , location = 77 St ...

before working as a jackeroo and undergoing compulsory military training.

Military career

Fergusson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 24 August 1914 and was posted to Egypt in the 1st Field Artillery Brigade. He was promoted from gunner to bombardier in March 1915, landing at Gallipoli on 25 April. He was hospitalised in England for

enteric fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

from September. In July 1916 he was sent to the Western Front. Fergusson was commissioned in December 1916 and promoted lieutenant in May 1917. Wounded at Messines on 7 June, he was mentioned in despatches. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) after saving his battery's guns and many of his men near Cérisy-Gailly, winning a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his MC for his actions from February to March. Injured in an accident in August, he was transferred to England and granted a disability pension, which he voluntarily surrendered in 1922. He married Effie Hazel Skinner at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on 6 January 1916. After the termination of his commission on 25 March 1919, Fergusson and his wife returned to Australia. Fergusson farmed at Whittlesea from 1927 and was a local councillor from 1930 to 1934, serving from 1931 to 1932 as president. In 1932, he contested the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

seat of Evelyn as an independent

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

candidate, but was defeated. Fergusson remained in the militia from 1926 to 1932 and rejoined in 1936. He was given command of the 8th Light Horse Regiment and promoted lieutenant colonel in 1939; on 13 October he returned to the AIF to take command of the 6th Divisional Reconnaissance Regiment. Posted to the Middle East from February 1940, Fergusson was wounded on 9 March 1941 at the siege of

Giarabub Jaghbub ( ar, الجغبوب) is a remote desert village in the Al Jaghbub Oasis in the eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. The oasis is located in Butnan District and was ...

in Libya and returned to Australia in June. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

and again mentioned in despatches. He returned to active service in November, commanding the 2/17th Battalion from January to February 1942 in Syria. He returned to Australia in March and was promoted temporary

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. I ...

in April, leading the 1st and 2nd Armoured and 2nd Infantry brigades from 1942 to 1944. Fergusson commanded the 8th Infantry Brigade from August 1944 in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

, being mentioned in despatches a third time, and returned to Australia on 16 August 1945, where he was transferred to the Reserve as honorary brigadier.

Later life

Fergusson stood for the Senate as a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidate in 1946, but was defeated. He moved to

Inverell Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1946 and to the property "Moreton Bay" in New South Wales in 1949, farming near

Leadville The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

. In 1966 he retired to Sydney. Fergusson died at

Dunedoo Dunedoo ( ) is a village of 1,021 inhabitants situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales, Australia. Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name (''Dunny'' is a colloquial Australian ...

in 1975 and was buried in Moreton Bay; his wife and four of his six sons survived him (one, Terence, had been killed in action in 1942 in Papua).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson, Maurice 1895 births 1975 deaths Military personnel from Melbourne Australian brigadiers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian recipients of the Military Cross People from Caulfield, Victoria People educated at University High School, Melbourne Victoria (state) local councillors Burials in New South Wales