Bernard Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae

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Bernard Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae : biography

6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980

Military service

Fergusson was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. From Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Black Watch. He served in Palestine and became ADC to General Wavell. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Fergusson was serving as Brigade Major for the 46th Infantry Brigade in 1940 before becoming a General Staff Officer in the Middle East. In October 1943 he was given command of the 16th Infantry Brigade which was converted into a Chindit formation for operations in the deep jungles of Burma miles behind Japanese lines. He commanded this brigade throughout the Chindit operations of 1944 before becoming Director of Combined Operations from 1945 to 1946. After the war he held various positions, including command of the famous 1st Battalion, Black Watch and retired in 1958.

Arms

Suez

Gerald Templer was impressed by Fergusson’s performance in the Malayan Emergency and during the Suez crisis he was put in charge of the psychological warfare component of Britain’s plan to retake the Suez canal and overthrow Nasser. Fergusson’s extensive campaign of propaganda was designed to accompany a ruthless use of air power against Alexandria however this plan was considerably different from the one that was eventually mounted and consequently psychological warfare was to have had little effect on Egyptian public opinion or morale. British propaganda radio stations assertions that Nasser was a tool of Zionism and Egypt should attack Israel brought strong protests from Golda Meir.

Honours and Awards

80px Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1952

Governor-General of New Zealand

In 1962 he was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand, serving until 1967. His father Sir Charles Fergusson had also been Governor-General, and both of his grandfathers, Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet and David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow, had been Governors of New Zealand.

He was elevated to a life peerage in 1972 as Baron Ballantrae, of Auchairne in the County of Ayrshire and The Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

Lord Ballantrae served as Chancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1973 until his death in 1980.

His son George Fergusson was British High Commissioner to New Zealand from 2006 to 2010 and has served as Governor of Bermuda since 2012.