The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX33630) Private William Maxwell Ferguson, 2/20th Battalion, Second Wolrd War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (NX33630) Private William Maxwell Ferguson, 2/20th Battalion, Second Wolrd War.

NX33630 Private William Maxwell Ferguson, 2/20th Battalion
Presumed dead 10 February 1942

Story delivered 15 February 2018

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private William Maxwell Ferguson.

William Ferguson was born on 1 November 1900 in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, the son of William and Catherine Ferguson. He worked as a publishing hand, and in 1929 married Kathleen Peace Judd. At the time of his enlistment in the Second Australian Imperial Force in June 1940, he was living with wife and two children in Dee Why, to the north of Sydney.

Ferguson enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in June 1940, and in late July joined the 2/20th Infantry Battalion.

In early February 1941, Ferguson and his battalion moved from Bathurst to Darling Harbour, where they embarked on the transport ship Queen Mary, headed for Singapore.

Ferguson was a keen musician. He had kept a violin at home, and after joining the military played baritone in his battalion’s band. He would have entertained his fellow troops while on the long ocean crossing. The Australian War Memorial has in its collection a handkerchief signed and decorated by Ferguson and other members of the band, and it is likely that they decided to create this memento while on their voyage.

Ferguson disembarked in Singapore on 18 February 1941, and almost immediately moved with the rest of his unit north to the Malayan peninsula. Here the 2/20th Battalion trained, adjusting to the hot and steamy tropical conditions, and preparing extensive defences in case of attack.

In January parts of the 2/20th Battalion came under Japanese attack for the first time. Following heavy Japanese bombing at Mersing and a series of clashes to the north, the 2/20th withdrew, and by the end of January were in Singapore. Here Ferguson and his unit formed defences on the north-west coast of the island, hampered by a lack of materials, almost constant Japanese air attack, and persistent rain. On the eve of the Japanese invasion, the 2/20th Battalion had a total strength of about 750 men with which to defend a sector that stretched over seven kilometres.

On 8 February, Japanese forces launched their main assault on Singapore. The 2/20th Battalion came under heavy artillery fire followed by a large attack by Japanese ground troops and aircraft. The Japanese landing was concentrated on the north-west of Singapore, where the 2/20th were stationed. Despite desperate defence, the battalion was forced to withdraw, and in the chaos and confusion of battle it was scattered over a wide area. Losses were heavy: in the first 12 hours of the attack alone, the 2/20th lost 400 men killed and wounded.

Like so many of his comrades, Private William Ferguson was originally reported as missing in action during the chaotic days of the fall of Singapore. His wife and children faced years of not knowing if he had been killed in action or taken prisoner.

It wasn’t until 1946 that Ferguson was officially declared to have been presumed killed in action. A later report stated that he and two other bandsmen went to collect ammunition truck for some infantrymen and were never heard from again.

William Ferguson was 41 years old.

Today his remains lie in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore, amongst nearly 4,500 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private William Maxwell Ferguson, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section