Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A good Great War D.S.O. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel F. A. Ferguson, Royal Engineers, onetime attached Egyptian Army, who won a “mention” for his command of a New Zealand Field Company in Gallipoli and rose to senior command in France in 1918, where he was wounded

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star (Capt. F. A. Ferguson, R.E.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col. F. A. Ferguson); Defence Medal 1939-45; Egypt, Order of the Nile, 4th Class breast badge, by Lattes, silver, silver-gilt and enamel; France, Croix de Guerre 1914-1917, with bronze palm; Belgium, Croix de Guerre 1914-18, mounted as worn, the first with slightly chipped enamel on obverse left arm and surround wreath, otherwise generally very fine or better (8) £1800-2200

D.S.O. London Gazette 3 June 1918.

Francis Augustus Ferguson was born at Clondalkin, Ireland, in March 1883, the son of an Anglican clergyman, and was educated at Birkenhead School and Monkton Combe School, Somerset, from which latter seat of learning he was expelled - having raised objections to the caning of a number of boys at assembly.

Appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, direct from the R.M.A Woolwich, in December 1901, he was advanced to Lieutenant in August 1904 and gained attachment to the Egyptian Army in 1911, serving as Deputy Assistant Director of the Sudan Government’s Post & Telegraph Department. He was awarded the 4th Class of the Egyptian Order of the Nile and advanced to Captain in December 1912.

Back home on leave in 1913, he obtained his Aero Certificate (No. 635) in a Bristol Biplane at Larkhill in September, but his subsequent request to transfer to the Royal Flying Corps in August 1914 was denied, owing to his qualifications and experience as a Royal Engineer.

Instead, he found himself placed in command of a New Zealand Engineer Field Company in Gallipoli, which theatre of war he entered in April 1915, and from whence he was invalided to Malta in late August. He was given the Brevet of Major (London Gazette 8 November 1915 refers), and mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 5 November 1915 refers), both of which honours probably came as a surprise to him for, according to a family source, he had been overheard saying of General Birdwood, “Why can’t he stick a feather up his arse like any other bird?”

Embarked for France with command of a Field Company, R.E., in June 1916, he remained similarly employed until coming home in November of the same year - this probably being the occasion he was wounded, a family source stating by a bullet grazing his face. Be that as it may, he returned to France in May 1917, initially being employed as a Staff Officer to the Chief Engineer, but latterly as C.R.E. of 17th Division, V Corps, 3rd Army, in which capacity he led three Field Companies during the battle of Albert in August 1918. He was awarded the D.S.O. and twice mentioned in despatches (London Gazettes 25 May 1918 and 5 July 1919 refer), in addition to being awarded the Croix de Guerre by our French and Belgian allies.

Post-war, Ferguson was appointed a substantive Lieutenant-Colonel and served out in Ceylon as C.R.E. in 1928-32, following which he was placed on the Retired List, while in the 1949-45 War he was Chief of Air Raid Precautions for East Sussex at Haywards Heath, in which capacity he regularly engaged in fire fighting duties and ‘saw a lot of traffic coming over’.

A member of the Conservative Party and active in local politics, Ferguson died at Cuckfield, Sussex, in August 1968; sold with an extensive file of research, including copied portrait photographs.