Reading time: 1 minute
His is the true story of a young Australian soldier whose life of opportunity was challenged by trauma and salvaged by strength.
Nelson Ferguson, from Ballarat, was a stretcher-bearer on the Western Front in France in World War I. He survived the dangers of stretcher-bearing in some of Australia’s most horrific battles: the Somme, Bullecourt, Ypres and Villers-Bretonneux. In April 1918, at Villers-Bretonneux, he was severely gassed. His eyes were traumatised, his lungs damaged. Upon his return home, he met and married Madeline, the love of his life, started a family, and resumed his career teaching art. But eventually the effects of the mustard gas claimed his eyesight, ending his career. Courageously enduring this consequence of war, he continued contributing to society by assisting his son and son-in-law in their stained-glass window business. Advances in medicine finally restored his sight in 1968, allowing him to yet again appreciate the beauty around him, before his death in 1976.
The story of this Anzac will stir your soul. It is a story of war and bravery, pain and strength, hope and miracles.
Don Farrands’ lovingly told story of war and peace Nelson Ferguson’s story – the subject of Hannie Rayson’s play with the same title – is a remarkable one. In 1915 he went to war as a medic and was initially stationed in England. He applied to go to France where he witnessed the catastrophe of World War I hauling stretchers through most major battles, ending up at Villers-Bretonneux in 1918 where he was gassed, which severely impaired his sight. What makes his story remarkable is what comes after. He taught art until the early ’60s, when his sight went. Meanwhile his son and son-in-law started a stained-glass firm, with Ferguson as guiding spirit. In 1969, medical science restored his sight and he saw the glass creations for the first time. Don Farrands uses his grandfather’s diaries to recreate the tale lovingly, like one of the windows.
Sydney Morning Herald Review
Nelson Harold Ferguson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915. He was a young art teacher from Ballarat who joined up to be part of the adventure of war. Serving as a stretcher-bearer on the frontlines in Europe, his adventure rapidly became a nightmare. He returned home in January 1919 suffering debilitating injuries and facing an uncertain future. Later in life, Ferguson founded a stained glass business in Melbourne, earning himself the sobriquet the glass soldier. This book is by Ferguson’s grandson and draws extensively from his wartime diaries and letters. It’s a story of determination, faith, and love, and a reflection on the tragic human cost of war. Royalties from sales of the book are being donated to The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Adelaide Advertiser Review
This story shows what wonders can be born of such horrors…we must never forget.
Julian Burnside AO, QC
A truly visionary book as fine on the miracle of sight as John Hull’s masterpiece Touching the Rock or the masterful writings of Oliver Sacks.
Phillip Adams AO
Courage and Compassion is well written and tells an epic story of World War I from the perspective of a single young soldier from Australia. Although Nelson’s war ended more than 100 years ago, it is as relevant today as it was then to help us understand what is happening to soldiers right now. It exposes the lies that drive us to glorify war and downplay the invisible suffering that can last a lifetime for soldiers and their families.
It’s a deeply human story about courage and fear, the mess that is war, about stoicism and determination to persevere under dreadful conditions, and later to deal with disability while still having a wonderful family and good work. There is the bittersweet triumph when Nelson Ferguson regains his eyesight as an old man. For those who want to understand and appreciate the people of Australia, the story of Nelson is a great introduction.
C Burke
Courage and Compassion: A Stretcher-bearer’s Journey from No-man’s Land and Beyond – Book
By Don Farrands QC This is the true story of a young Australian soldier whose life of opportunity was challenged by trauma and salvaged by strength. Nelson Ferguson, from Ballarat, was a stretcher-bearer on the Western Front in France in World War I. He survived the dangers of stretcher-bearing in some of Australia’s most horrific…
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HMS Terror wreck found – but what happened to her doomed crew? Here’s the science
It remains one of history’s best-known naval tragedies – and mysteries. The loss of all 129 men of the 1845 Royal Navy expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin to navigate a north-west passage through the Arctic remains an enigma. The only informative document to be recovered from the expedition was a single page that reported initial […]
A cave site in Kenya’s forests reveals the oldest human burial in Africa
Reading time: 7 minutes
Africa is often referred to as the cradle of humankind – the birthplace of our species, Homo sapiens. There is evidence of the development of early symbolic behaviours such as pigment use and perforated shell ornaments in Africa, but so far most of what we know about the development of complex social behaviours such as burial and mourning has come from Eurasia.
However, the remains of a child buried almost 80,000 years ago under an overhang at Panga ya Saidi cave in Kenya is providing important new details.
X Troop – The Secret Jewish Commandos of WWII
Reading time: 8 minutes
When we hear ‘Jewish’ and ‘World War II’ in the same sentence, our minds often lead directly to the Holocaust. The extent of Jewish resistance to the brutal treatment on their own was limited due to the extent of their persecution by Nazi or Nazi aligned governments. These governments generally had the broad support of the populace, making it hard for small groups of Jews within these societies to fight back. One exception to this were the Jews of Poland, the X Troop commandos were another.
