ALASDAIR FERGUSON rarely talked about his wartime experiences, even to his family. What he described as “the worst day of his life” was August 19, 1942, when he took part in the Dieppe raid. Driven by political necessity, too large for a raid, too small for an invasion, it was imprecise in its objectives, and its operational plan was unworkably complicated.
Due to inadequate naval gunfire support, strong German artillery defences, a loss of surprise and a decision not to bomb the town behind the assault beach, the raid was an expensive disaster, with the force of Canadian troops and Army and Royal Marine commandos leaving behind nearly 1,000 dead and over 2,000 prisoners. More than 100 aircraft were also lost.
Sub-Lieutenant Ferguson, RNVR, was second in command of the 10th Landing Craft Assault (LCA) Flotilla. Unfortunately, a small German coastal convoy had become entangled with the assault force; the battle disorganised the landing craft and the noise of gunfire alerted the garrison. Lowered from the davits of the converted Belgian ship, Prinses Astrid, some seven miles offshore, he arrived later than planned in dawn light off the village of Puys 3km to the left of Dieppe.
The Royal Regiment of Canada and one artillery detachment, experienced appalling luck on the Puys beach. As they reached the shore, the men were pinned against a concrete sea wall and unable to advance otherwise than in full view of the enemy. Since no ship could get close without being sunk, the survivors had to surrender. Of the 556 men and officers of the Royal Regiment of Canada who sailed for Dieppe, more than 200 died and 264 were captured.
Ferguson was lucky to survive as 33 landing craft were destroyed. The plan was to withdraw after several hours, and Ferguson was sent back to the main beach with four LCAs to recover survivors. Two were sunk and Ferguson’s LCA, well overloaded, left under heavy fire and was itself hit. Ferguson transferred his passengers to another LCA, for which he was awarded a mention in dispatches.
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His naval career continued in the crucial but relatively unsung landing craft flotilla community, his appointments alternating between long-forgotten Combined Operations training establishments such as HMS Tormentor, Roseneath and Cricket, and assault landing operations.
In November 1942 he commanded the 60th LCA Flotilla for Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa, being launched from the converted liner Duchess of Bedford carrying US troops ashore to Arzew east of Oran. His command continued in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the more difficult and bloody assault at Salerno in September. A contemporary records Ferguson as “a natural born leader, with great aplomb and quiet courage — in everything he did he required the highest standard of organisation while caring for all his sailors”. He was awarded the DSC in 1944.
After intensive training, Ferguson’s flotilla embarked in the converted cargo ship Empire Arquebus for the Normandy invasion, carrying the 1st Battalion The Hampshire Regiment to Gold Beach and the tenacious strongpoint at Le Hamel. Of the landing craft, Admiral Vian wrote: “Their spirit and seamanship rose to meet the greatness of the hour.” Thorough training and steady nerves had prevailed over beach obstacles and marginal weather, rough enough for the soldiers to be issued with the frankly named “Bags, Vomit”. Ferguson won a Bar to his DSC for his courage and leadership.
He saw out the war as second in command of the destroyer Vivien on East Coast convoy work and was demobilised in April 1946.
Alasdair Forbes Ferguson was educated at Loretto, Edinburgh, where he was head of the school and captain of hockey, athletics, swimming, boxing and rugby. His engineering studies at Clare College, Cambridge, were interrupted by the war.
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Ferguson’s association with Poole covered a remarkable range of activities. Recruited as a consultant, he became managing director of the ailing Hamworthy Engineering, which then grew rapidly. In 1958, with his brother Nick, he bought Bourne Steel, then employing only 15 people. Ferguson developed a strong market in the Middle East and sold major shareholdings to the 160 employees, the company, by then one of the top five in its field in the country.
He was chairman of the Sub-Commissioners of Trinity House, Poole, overseeing pilotage for 27 years. He founded the Poole Maritime Trust, which supported the exploration of a 16th-century wreck in Studland Bay, and he was a key player in the preservation of the Waterfront Museum. He was appointed MBE for his services to the community.
Other interests included the Parkstone Boys and Girls Club, the Association of Dorset Boys’ Clubs, and support for the Poole Arts Centre. To embellish the waterfront, threatened by an ugly pumping station, he bought a sculpture by Sir Anthony Caro. He was a keen sailor, often sailing his yacht Swan of Arden to France.
He was three times married; his first two wives Miranda Domvile and Heather Sheriff predeceased him. He is survived by his third wife, Patricia, and two of the three daughters of the first marriage.
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Alasdair Ferguson, MBE, DSC and Bar, landing craft specialist and businessman, was born on April 11, 1919. He died on December 26, 2004, aged 85.