Ralph FERGUSON

Regimental number8/866
Date of birth29 December 1883
Place of birthLondon, England
ReligionNo religious affiliation stated
OccupationTea merchant
Address18 John Street, Caversham, Dunedin
Marital statusSingle
Age at embarkation31
Height5' 4.5"
Weight130 lbs
Next of kinMiss M Ferguson, Hareky House, Cranbrook, Kent, England
Previous military serviceServed in the Royal Navy, and in Cav[ersham] Rifles; serving in 4th (Otago) Regiment, Territorial Force at time of NZEF enlistment.
Enlistment date25 August 1915
Place of enlistmentDunedin
Rank on embarkationSergeant
Enlistment statusVolunteer
Unit nameNew Zealand Expeditionary Force, Main Body, Otago Infantry Battalion
Embarkation detailsUnit embarked from Wellington on 16 October 1914
Members of the Otago Infantry Battalion, Main Body, left Wellington on 16 October 1914 on two ships, HMNZT 9 'Hawke's Bay' and HMNZT 5 'Ruapehu'. From the Nominal Roll it is not possible to determine on which ship an individual embarked.
Final rankSergeant
Final unitOtago Infantry Regiment
FateKilled in Action 2 May 1915
Age at death from cemetery records34
Place of burialNo known grave
Commemoration detailsThe Lone Pine Memorial (Panel No 75), Gallipoli, Turkey

The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

Miscellaneous information from
  cemetery records
Parents: the late Alfred and Rhoda Ferguson, Sutton Valance, Maidstone, England
Other details

War service: Egypt, Gallipoli

Embarked Alexandria to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force(Gallipoli Campaign), 12 April 1915.

Reported missing, 1-23 May 1915.

Board of Enquiry, held at Moascar Camp, Ismailia, 20 January 1916, concluded: 'Believed to have been killed Pope's Hill, Dardanelles, 2 May 1915'.

War service: 251 days (of which 222 days were abroad)

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Miscellaneous detailsNominal Roll Vol. 1: Otago Infantry Batln/Main Body
SourcesArchives New Zealand (Wellington), Agency AABK, Series 1880, File 21002510