Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet

Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951) was a British Army general who was the third governor-general of New Zealand from 1924 to 1930. Before that, he served as a distinguished division and later corps commander almost entirely on the Western Front during the First World War, from 1914 to 1918.

Early life and military career Fergusson was the son of Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, the 6th Governor of New Zealand and Lady Edith Christian Ramsay, daughter of James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie. He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, before being commissioned as a subaltern, with the rank of lieutenant, into the Grenadier Guards in November 1883.

Promoted to captain in October 1895, and major in November 1898, he served in the Sudan from 1896 to 1898, becoming commanding officer (CO) of the 15th Sudanese Regiment in 1899 and commander of the Omdurman District in 1900. and was awarded the Order of the Medjidieh (third class) in 1899.

He was made adjutant general of the Egyptian Army in early 1901 and commanding officer (CO) of the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards in 1904 and appointed a Member (4th class) (MVO) of the Royal Victorian Order in 1906 before being placed on half-pay in July 1907. He was promoted to substantive colonel in October, and was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general to be brigadier general, general staff (BGGS) of Irish Command, in which role he succeeded Colonel Frederick Hammersley. After being promoted to major-general in September 1908, at the very young age (in peacetime) of just 43, he was appointed an inspector of infantry in April 1909. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the County of Ayr in 1909.

He was appointed a Companion in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath in the 1911 Coronation Honours. In February 1913 he succeeded Major General William Pitcairn Campbell as general officer commanding (GOC) of the 5th Division, then stationed in Ireland. In this capacity he played a key role during the Curragh incident the following year, ensuring his officers obeyed orders.

Portrait of Fergusson in uniform, seated with his hands folded in his lap.

First World War Division commander He took the 5th Division to France in August 1914 shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The real reason, however, appears to be that Field Marshal Sir John French, commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, wanted Fergusson's removal, not believing that the latter had it in him to successfully command a division, despite the fact that Fergusson had been doing so for the past two months.

Fergusson, promoted to lieutenant general, then returned to the United Kingdom and briefly took command of the 9th (Scottish) Division, the most senior of the newly created formations of Kitchener's Army, from October to December 1914.

Corps commander On 2 January 1915, Fergusson was appointed GOC of II Corps on the Western Front, succeeding General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, who went on to command the newly formed Second Army. During this period, he was noted for a strict command style and frequent personal inspections of frontline positions.

In February he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), "in connection with Operations in the Field".

Following in the aftermath of the Battle of Loos in September–October 1915, Fergusson expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the 21st Division, a New Army formation in battle for the first time, which led to the relief of its GOC, Major General George Forestier-Walker.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of Leopold in February 1916. In May, Fergusson took command of the newly formed XVII Corps. He led the corps during the Battle of Arras in 1917 and remained in command during the German spring offensives from March through July 1918. He continued to lead the corps throughout the Hundred Days Offensive later that year, until the Armistice with Germany in November, which ended the war. was a military governor of Cologne before he retired from the army in 1922. Fergusson was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand and served until 1930.

Marriage and family Fergusson married Lady Alice Mary Boyle on 18 July 1901. She was a daughter of David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow. They had five children:

Helen Dorothea Fergusson (15 October 1902 – ?) married 1925 Major Leonard Proby Haviland Sir James Fergusson, 8th Baronet (18 September 1904 – 25 October 1973) The Reverend Simon Charles David Fergusson (5 June 1907 – 1982). He married Auriole Kathleen Hughes-Onslow, maternal granddaughter of Arthur Crofton, 4th Baron Crofton. They had two sons and two daughters, one of whom was Scottish MP Alex Fergusson. Brigadier Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980) Charles Fergusson (16 January 1917 – 22 January 1917)

Freemasonry Fergusson was a Freemason. During his term as governor-general, he was also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

Lodge Empire Fergusson, No 225, still meets in Wellington.

Later life After his term in New Zealand, Fergusson became chairman of the West Indies Closer Union Commission and was Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire from 1937 until his death on 20 February 1951.

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