Re: Second Lieutenant Agar
-
In reply to:
Second Lieutenant Agar
William Ferguson 2/10/03
Does anyone know anything about the james Agar ferguson in the article below.If so I would love to hear from you.Kae Lewis
The James
Ferguson
Photograph
Album
Part 1 – Introduction by Paul Leaman
One Sunday last autumn the television programme ‘The
Antiques Roadshow’ featured a photograph album
that had been prepared by James Ferguson, an RNAS
pilot during the 1914-1918 war. While I am an avid viewer
of the programme, I missed this particular show and so
failed to see it first hand. However, Joe Moran, one of our
members living in Ireland, wrote drawing my attention to
it and the album. I contacted the BBC and through them
eventually managed to establish a contact with and meet
the present owner of the album, Robert Ferguson, the son of
its originator. With a great degree of generosity and trust, he
agreed to lend me the album so that I could arrange to have
copies made of the photographs for inclusion in our journal.
James Senior Agar Ferguson was born on 14 December
1890 in Glasgow and spent his early years in Lanarkshire
where he went to school. His father [also James] and
uncle were joint owners of the saw-mills at Eglinton Toll
in Glasgow. Unfortunately, James’s father suffered from
tuberculosis and was advised to seek a kinder climate.
Taking his family, he emigrated to Argentina where he joined
his mother and his wife’s thirteen brothers and sisters who
had emigrated there at the turn of the century. James and
his three brothers went to school at St Georges, a British
run public school in Buenos Aires. After completing his
schooling, James trained as an estancia manager, working at
several establishments until war was declared in 1914. With
his brothers, he came home to enlist and, because he was a
competent horseman, was placed in the HAC. Soon however,
he and his brother Alec transferred to the Royal Naval Air
Service and James was sent to Vendôme for basic training
and gained his wings. He was then posted to Cranwell for
advanced training and then on to Killingholme where he
learned to fly seaplanes. His next posting was to Calshot
where he acted as an instructor and section leader. From
Calshot, he moved across the Solent to Lee-on-Solent where
he served until the Armistice.
After the war he left the service and, in 1919, returned
to Argentina and managed an estancia there until 1927
when he moved to Misiones in northern Argentina. There
he had an interest in a Yerba Mate plantation and in the
new settlements that were being developed. He remained
in the Argentine for some years after his retirement but
eventually returned to England to live with his daughter
in Uppingham, Rutland. He died on 6 January 1976 at the
age of 86. James Ferguson was a talented draughtsman, not
only did he meticulously assemble the photographs in this
unique album but also added skilful and often witty pen
drawings alongside them.
We are very grateful to James Ferguson for assembling
this album of photographs and also to Robert Ferguson for
allowing us access to it and for providing the details of his
father’s life and career.
The Art Gallery, Vendôme was the title J.S.A. Ferguson gave to
this picture of himself in his corner of an accommodation hut at
Vendôme during his training. He has already collected, or
inherited from a previous occupant, an assortment of images by, or
in the style of, pin-up artist Raphael Kirchner.
Above left: Monogram and RNAS badge drawn by Ferguson on the
cover of his album.
More Replies:
-
Re: Second Lieutenant Agar
William Ferguson 3/12/04
-
Re: Agar of Argentina
Kae Lewis 3/12/04
-
Re: Agar of Argentina
Charles Agar 10/31/04
-
Re: Agar of Argentina
-
Re: Second Lieutenant Agar
Charles Agar 11/01/04
-
Re: Agar of Argentina