Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.

Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.

Detail :

709 Corporal Robert William Ferguson, 15th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, 4th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Expeditionary Force. Killed in action at the Dardenelles.

Robert enlisted 3rd November, 1914 to serve as part of the war effort, but had previous service: 18 months in the Australian Field Artillery and over three years experience in the Army Service Corps. He is listed as a Corporal in May 1914, just before the war when initiated into Fenwick Lodge. Tied together with his military record, he appears to be serving as an Engine Driver.

On the 12th April, 1915, Robert was attached to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and soon after was in action at Gallipoli. "After leaving Alexandria, the 15th Battalion sailed to Mudros, where the Allied force assembled prior to the assault. Assigned to the follow-up waves, the 15th Battalion landed at Anzac Cove on the afternoon of 25th April, 1915. As the Ottoman defenders checked the Allied advance inland, on arrival the 15th Battalion was rushed into the line on the left flank of the beachhead. As the advance inland stalled, the battalion became isolated and threatened with destruction until Cannan withdrew his force to a more tenable position. Later, they helped shore up the line before occupying positions around "Pope's Hill" and "Russell's Top", where they joined an attack on 1st May. After that, they occupied "Quinn's Post", and defended it against a strong Ottoman counterattack on 19th May. Further fighting occurred around the battalion's position as the Ottoman troops began tunnelling under the "no man's land" that divided the two lines. Counter-mining actions were undertaken, but on 29th May a significant attack was put in against the 15th Battalion's position and they were briefly forced back before restoring the situation with a strong counterattack."

He was killed in action as part of this part of the campaign on either the 9th or 10th May, 1915. There is reference, in his service record, to the date of 26th May, which although has been interpreted by some as that of his fatal action, was more likely to be the date that his death was "cabled."

Letters by his mother allude to Robert's employement as "Transport Corporal," which was probably a position playing to his pre-War strengths. His brother, 1664 Private V.G. Ferguson was also lost in action.

Masonic :

Listed as a Corporal, resident at Enogguu, South Brisbane (1914). Records of Fenwick Lodge in the registers show Robert's war service for one year before the annotation (in the 1916 column) "Killed on Active Service" - Date Unknown. Fenwick Lodge is now under the constitution of the Grand Lodge of Queensland, number 68 in its register.

Robert William Ferguson, despite being the only member of Norwood to be recorded in the 1921 Book, The Masonic Roll of Honour, there is a memorial plaque in existence which shows the names of 11 others who survived the Great War: Bros. G.E. Appelbe (ledger shows Applebe), W. Beavis, F.G. Chisholm, E. Gulpin, G.A.H. Brown, H. James, A. Juster, A.L.G. Mercer, R.D. Gibbs, E.S Hodbson and E. Woolman. The commemoration originally resided at Vulture Street Centre, but which will be installed & dedicated in 2020 at the South Brisbane Masonic Centre. [With thanks to R.W.Bro. Duncan McGregor].

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley