World War I Commemorative Website

War Memorial Hall  c1929

Memorial Hall circa 1929
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William Aitchison FERGUSON

FERGUSON

William Ferguson was born on 13 December 1893 in Carlton, Victoria. His parents were Mephan and Agnes (née Shand) Ferguson. He attended Scotch from 1912 to 1913, after attending Geelong College.

William was an engineer and pattern maker when he enlisted on 31 October 1916 at Geelong, Victoria. He served in the No. 2 Australian Division Supply Column and No. 2 Auxiliary Mechanical Transport Company, Australian Army Service Corps with the rank of Driver. His Regimental Number was 13165.

William died on 30 November 1918 at Amiens, France. He was 24 years of age.

Service record

Before enlisting in Geelong in 1916 Bill Ferguson was rejected at Bombay, India, on account of malarial fever and poor eyesight. He was allotted to Reinforcements to the 1st Auxiliary Mechanical Transport Company as a Driver and embarked from Melbourne with them on 22 December 1916. They arrived in Devonport, England on 3 March 1917. On 4 April 1917 he was hospitalised at Tidworth for 45 days with pneumonia (also listed as pleurisy). It was an ominous sign, but he recovered. The Scotch Collegian of 1917 mentioned that he had been in hospital with pneumonia but concentratd on the fact that he had recently met six Old Scotch Collegians.

In June 1917 Bill travelled to France, this time as a motor transport Driver in the No. 2 Australian Division Supply Column. On 12 March 1918 he transferred to the No. 2 Auxiliary Mechanical Transport Company. That very day he left for a week’s leave to Paris. In September he had another 15 days’ leave to the United Kingdom. Some two months after returning, he was transferred to a field ambulance on 19 November with ‘Pyrexia of Unknown Origin’ (a fever), and the following day was transported to the 41st Stationary Hospital at Amiens. He died there at 10 a.m. on 30 November 1918 of broncho pneumonia. The personal effects left at his death included three pairs of spectacles. Bill was initially buried at Dury Hospital Military Cemetery.

In 1928 the bodies in this cemetery were exhumed for the unusual reason that visitors to the graves had to pass through the grounds of a lunatic asylum where ‘the inmates were at work’ (see letter to Bill’s brother Ernest on this matter, below). In the interest of the relatives, the Australian bodies were moved to the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.

William Ferguson is buried in the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery (Plot XIIIA, Row BB, Grave No. 9), Fouilloy, France.

Photographs and Documents:

Sources:

  1. Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
  2. Mishura Scotch Database
  3. National Archives of Australia – B2455, FERGUSON W A
  4. Scotch Collegian 1917, 1930
  5. The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=96342

Page last updated: 11 November 2015