Ion Ferguson
Thomas Ion Victor Ferguson known as Ion Ferguson Royal Army Medical Corps (1913 – 1990) was an Irish volunteer for the British army who escaped from Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, during the Second World War.
Ion Ferguson | |
|---|---|
 Ion Ferguson with RAF 30 Squadron, Greece 1941 | |
| Birth name | Thomas Ion Victor Ferguson |
| Born | 1913 Knockcloghrim, County Londonderry, Ireland |
| Died | 1990 Rochdale, Lancashire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Army Medical Corps |
| Years of service | 1939–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen May O'Brien |
Early life and family
He was born on 21 April 1913 in Knockcloghrim, County Londonderry, Ireland to parents Ion Ferguson (1882–1962) and Annie Victoria Makin Ferguson, née Fisher (1887–1969). His parents married in August, 1912 the year before Ion's birth. His father died aged 79 in 1962 and mother aged 81 in 1969. His father also had a brother named Sidney Clement Ferguson born in Belfast (1918–1973). In 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, the family moved to Croft House in Church Street, Whitworth, Lancashire a small town north of Rochdale. Sidney died on 24 March 1973, in Rainhill, Lancashire at the age of 55. Ion was married to Eileen May O'Brien.
RAF 30 Squadron and German capture
Ferguson, was in RAF 30 Squadron based in Eleusis, Greece from November, 1940. He contributed towards the Greek defence against the Italians. After the German invasion the squadron was forced to evacuate to Crete until 15 May 1941 and then back to Egypt with the three remaining airworthy Blenheim aircraft. However, he was captured by the Germans in 1941 and held as a POW until 1945.
He was moved to Colditz Castle after protesting to the German authorities about the treatment of prisoners. According to Punch magazine, "Dr. Ferguson is a typical Irish rebel who kicked against the authority of senior officers until becoming a P.O.W., when he would not allow the Germans to ill-treat anyone without voluble protest. His intransigence landed him in Colditz..."[1]
Whilst incarcerated in Colditz in a ploy to attract the attention of the German authorities, Ferguson wrote a letter to an Irish friend, the son of Éamon de Valera, the Irish Taoiseach, in which he called for Ireland to join the war on the Allies' side. As intended, the letter was stopped by the German censors but his wish to be moved to another prison camp was granted and he was moved to Stalag IV-D. In Stalag IV-D, he coached two RAF prisoners to convincingly simulate schizophrenia, who were consequently repatriated, while waiting for his own repatriation to Britain in the same way.[2]
Own biography and death
Ferguson wrote a biography of his wartime experiences in Doctor at War (1957).
Ferguson died in 1990 aged 77. His funeral was held in Rochdale, Lancashire.
Bibliography
- Doctor at War, Panther Books, (1957)
References
- Punch, volume 229, page 309, 14th September 1955 edition (Number 6001)
- Haygood, Tamara Miner. "Malingering and Escape: Anglo-American Prisoners of War in World War II Europe" (PDF). War, Literature & the Arts. Retrieved 25 June 2023.