FERGUSON, Ernest Oscar

Ernest Oscar Ferguson was born in Richmond Victoria in January, 1893, the son of Albert Ernest Ferguson or Furguson and his wife, Eleanor Louisa, nee Green. He names himself on different documents as a clerk or alternatively, a labourer. On his enlistment form, he states his address as 2 Jolimont Terrace, Jolimont, the home of his sister Agnes Ivy, who became Mrs. Prisk. He was already living in East Melbourne, listing 73 Grey St. as his address in the Electoral Roll for 1914. He was 23 years old, single, belonged to the Church of England and was 5' 4" tall, with brown hair and eyes. 

It was not surprising that the siblings lived in East Melbourne. His grandparents, Thomas Ferguson ( 1832-94) and Agnes Cummins Ferguson (1840-1910) probably lived there too. They were both employees of the Training Institute/Model School in Spring St., Melbourne, where Thomas was the caretaker from 1878-1893 and Agnes the housekeeper from 1883-1893. Ernest Oscar Ferguson lived in Darling St. from his birth in 1893-4, Grey St from 1894-1895, Albert St 1896-1898  and at 17 Gipps St from 1899-1904. The last address was that of his maternal grandfather who had a grocery store at 17 Gipps St, East Melbourne and presumably lived above the store, a substantial two storey building on an ample block which can still be seen today.

The reason for the quick changes of household related to the marriage of Oscar's parents, Albert Ernest Ferguson and Eleanor Louisa Ferguson. When the couple married on 12 October 1892, Albert Ernest was a bank clerk, earning seven pounds a week, a good wage at the time. Following the marriage, the couple had three children,  Ernest Oscar b.1893, Vera Merle b. 1895 and Agnes Ivy b.1897.

In 1906, Eleanor put in a petition for divorce. In her statement she claimed that her husband began drinking heavily in 1897. In 1898, he lost his job and was out of work for seven months. She was forced to depend on money from her father to support the family. In 1899, her father refused  to give them any further money and she and the children, moved in with him at 17 Gipps St. The last time Eleanor saw her husband was in 1901 in Hoddle St., East Melbourne. Her statement says He was drunk at the time ... and has never contributed in any way to my support or the support of my children. By then, she states, he described himself as a farm labourer. Eleanor won her divorce and was supported by her father until 1904, after which she became a teacher of dancing.

Ernest Ferguson enlisted on 28 January, 1916, on on 28 January, was sent to Royal Park, Carlton, then on to Broadmeadows on 1 June, 1916, where he was placed with the 13-23 Reinforcements of the 5th Battalion.The new recruits embarked from Melbourne on 11 September, 1916, on board HMAT Euripides A14, disembarking at Portsmouth on 26 October. From here, they were sent to Perham Downs for further training before leaving for France from Folkestone on board the Princess Clementine on 30 November, 1916, landing at Etaples. Once in France, Ernest Ferguson went AWL for twenty-four hours, his second offence; he had also been AWL from Perham Downs on 30 November for the same amount of time. Following his punishment,  Ernest Ferguson was taken on strength with the 5th Battalion on 19 January, 1917. Having fought at Pozieres in July, 1916, the 5th Battalion had been severely depleted and new recruits like Oscar Ferguson woudl have been very welcome. In January, they were experienceing the bitter European winter weather in trenches at the Somme, in unhygenic conditions and it is no surprise that he became sick again within the next month.

On 22 February, 1917, Ferguson was sick, taken to hospital for three days with scabies, then rejoining his battalion. On 15 May, he was again ill, shipped to England and admitted to the Brook Hospital at Woolwich, probably with influenza, which continued to trouble him through the whole of his army career. He did not rejoin the 5th Battalion until 4 March. Again, on 23 March, he was taken to the Field Ambulance station, this time with an injury to his right foot and on 6 April, was treated for a septic foot. On 7 April, he again had influenza and was admitted to hospital in France, then sent back to England, embarking from Boulogne on 14 May and was in hospital at Woolwich again until 27 June, when he was discharged to go on leave. He returned from furlough on 15 July and was sent to the Overseas Training Depot at Perham Downs, then shipped back to his unit, marching in on 31 July. By now, the Battalion was fighting to overcome the German entrenchments on the Hindenburg Line.

Ernest Ferguson was ill with scabies again from 14-20 October, 1917 and in November from ICT to back and legs. On recovery, he was sent to the No. 5 Command Depot at Abbeville on 15 January, 1918, returning again to his battalion on 17 March. Three months later,  on 8 June, he was admitted to 58th Casualty Clearing Staion at Boulogne with influenza, his third attack. On 20 June, he was diagnosed with Trench Fever and treated at Havre. He did not return to the front on recovery, but was sent to the Corporals'  Training School at Havre on on 3 August, and then on leave to England on 5 October, finally rejoining the 5th Battalion on 19 October, 1918, a week after the war was over. He was AWL on 24 December, hardly a surprise, with the war over and Christmas the following day. He was returned to England on 8 January, 1919, where another bout of influenza on 21 January saw the end of his military career, his case notes reading has lost three stone in weight, physical signs indefinite ... Permanently unfit for active service. Temporally unfit for Home Service. Two attempts were made to send him back to Australia, but in each case, he failed to board the ship. He returned to Australia on 8 September, 1919, on board HT Rarango, disembarking in Melbourne on 27 October, 1919. 

His record from then on is one of solid work as a railway employee, first in Prahran in 1919, then in Geelong from 1924-1931. Over this time, he had married and from 1924 onwards appears on the Electoral Roll with Clara Robina. In 1937, he was in Maryborough, still with the railways, and in 1943, was back in Prahran. He died in 1952, aged 59.