The Lord Ballantrae | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fergusson in 1963 | |
| 10th Governor-General of New Zealand | |
| In office 9 November 1962 – 20 October 1967 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Keith Holyoake |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Cobham |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Porritt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1911-05-06)6 May 1911 |
| Died | 28 November 1980(1980-11-28) (aged 69) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Children | George Fergusson |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow (grandfather) Sir James Fergusson (grandfather) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1931–1958 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | Black Watch |
| Commands | 1st Battalion,Black Watch 16th Infantry Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Arab revolt in Palestine Second World War Palestine Emergency |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches |
BrigadierBernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae,KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980[1]) was aBritish Army officer and military historian who served as the tenthgovernor-general of New Zealand from 1962 to 1967. He was the last British-born person to hold the position.
Fergusson was the third son and fourth child ofSir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, and his wife Lady Alice Mary Boyle, a daughter ofDavid Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow. His older brother wasSir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet, 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 (1920−1979), daughter of Arthur Morton Grenfell and sister of DameFrances Campbell-Preston. Laura was killed in an accident in 1979 when gales blew a tree onto the car in which she was travelling. She and Bernard had one child,George (Geordie), who served as theBritish high commissioner to New Zealand from 2006 to 2010 andgovernor of Bermuda from 2012.
Fergusson was educated atEton College and theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst. From the latter, he wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant into theBlack Watch on 27 August 1931.[2] He served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in theBritish Mandate of Palestine during theArab revolt and later becameaide-de-camp (ADC) to Major GeneralArchibald Wavell, thenGeneral Officer Commanding the2nd Infantry Division in England, on 11 March 1937.[3] At the outbreak of theSecond World War, he was on the Directing Staff at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.[4]
In 1940, Fergusson was serving as abrigade major for the46th Infantry Brigade before becoming a general staff officer in the Middle East, where he also saw active service with Free French forces in Syria and with the Black Watch inTobruk. In 1942 he served briefly in the Joint Planning Staff in Delhi, before transferring toOrde Wingate's embryonic Chindit force experimenting with Long Range Penetration campaigns.[5] He commanded No. 5 Column in Wingate's 1943 campaign (Operation Longcloth) in Japanese-occupied Burma, for which he was awarded theDSO. In October 1943 he was promoted to acting brigadier and given command of the16th Infantry Brigade, which was converted into aChindit formation for operations in the deep jungles ofBurma miles behind Japanese lines. He commanded this brigade throughout the Chindit operations of 1944 (Operation Thursday). 16 Brigade, alone of the Chindit brigades, went into Burma on foot in a five week march through very difficult terrain. He established a stronghold, "Aberdeen", in keeping with Wingate's strategic vision and led an unsuccessful assault on the airfields atIndaw before his Brigade was flown out. He was Director ofCombined Operations from 1945 to 1946.[1]
He wrote about both Burma campaigns inBeyond the Chindwin andThe Wild Green Earth and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in the 1945 election.
In 1946 Fergusson returned toPalestine during thePalestine Emergency as an Assistant Inspector-General in thePalestine Police Force.
He proposed that special units be formed to fight against Zionist paramilitaries, to include serving Palestine police officers and soldiers who had served in the Britishspecial forces during the war. This was accepted and one of the resulting units was commanded byRoy Farran, a much-decorated former SAS officer.[1]
In May 1947, Farran's unit arrested 17-year-old Alexander Rubowitz, who was putting up posters inJerusalem for a Zionist paramilitary organisation,Lehi. Rubowitz was killed under brutal interrogation and his body never found. Farran came under suspicion and 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 had then reported the incident to the head of CID (Criminal Investigation Department) and to the Palestine Police Inspector-General.[6][7]
At Farran's subsequent trial, Fergusson refused to testify on grounds that he might incriminate himself. The Palestine government announced that no action would be taken against Fergusson. Following Farran's acquittal, Fergusson was relieved of his duties in Palestine and returned to Britain.[8][9]
Fergusson commanded 1st Battalion, the Black Watch in Germany from 1948 to 1951, was Colonel (Intelligence) atSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), at Versailles. He later commanded the 153rd (Highland) Brigade in Perth..[10]
He was appointed Director ofPsychological Warfare operations during theSuez Crisis, a joint invasion ofEgypt by the British,French andIsraelis to take control of theSuez Canal. Despite drafting an extensive campaign of psychological warfare for use during the crisis, the actual operations when theRoyal Air Force (RAF) commenced aerial campaigns against Egyptian targets were very different and ultimately made little impact on Egyptian morale or public opinion. Psychological warfareradio broadcasts made under Fergusson's direction and directed at Egypt stated that PresidentGamal Abdel Nasser was under the influence ofZionism and urged Egyptians to attack Israel, which elicited diplomatic protests from future Israeli Prime MinisterGolda Meir.[11]
Fergusson's final military appointment was as Commander of 29 Brigade, based in Dover (1957-58).
Fergusson worked as a writer, based in Ayrshire, Scotland between 1958 and 1962, writing the official history of Combined Operations(The Watery Maze), and serving as a correspondent for the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph. In 1962 he was appointedgovernor-general of New Zealand, serving until 1967. Although he had the physical appearance of a very traditional British officer, he became a popular governor-general. He was an early and strong advocate for greater knowledge and respect on the part of pākehā (European) New Zealanders forMāorilanguage andtikanga. He was the first governor or governor-general to speak Māori sinceGovernor George Grey (governor 1845-53).[12]
He was a member of the International Observer Team (1968-69) during theNigerian Civil War, founding chair of the Scottish Trust for the Physically Disabled from 1971, chair of theBritish Council 1972-76,Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1973 and 1974, and Honorary Colonel of the Black Watch 1969-76.[10]
Fergusson was created alife peer on 10 July 1972 as Baron Ballantrae, of Auchairne in the County ofAyrshire and TheBay of Islands inNew Zealand[13] and made aKnight of the Thistle (KT) in 1974.[10]
Lord Ballantrae served aschancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1973 until his death in 1980.
The Bernard Fergusson Memorial Scholarship was established in 1982 by the late Maori Queen, DameTe Atairangikaahu, 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 theTainui Tribal Confederation resident in the Tainui Maori Trust Board area to enrol as an undergraduate student in theUniversity of Waikato, who but for the award, might otherwise not be able to attend the university.[14]
Due to his relationship with Tainui, a Ngāruawāhia primary school, Te Kura Kaupapa o Bernard Fergusson, was named after him in 1966.[15] Over the years, many students from the school would go on to receive the memorial scholarship.
 | Knight of the Order of the Thistle (KT) | 30 November 1974[16] |
 | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) | 3 September 1962[17] |
 | Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) | 11 February 1963[18] |
 | Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | 5 August 1943 (Burma)[19] |
_Ribbon.png) | Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | King's Birthday Honours, 8 June 1950[20] |
_ribbon_-vector.svg) | Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ) | 1961[21] |
 | General Service Medal | with 3 clasps |
 | 1939-1945 Star | |
 | Africa Star | |
 | Burma Star | |
 | Defence Medal | |
 | War Medal 1939–1945 | withMiD |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | 1953 |
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| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor-General of New Zealand 1962–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1973–1980 | Succeeded by |
