[1] His education was varied as he travelled with his mother and step father, attending schools in Wellington, Melbourne, London, Paris and Dunedin.

[1] After the recall of Australian forces to help defend Australia, Ferguson was promoted to captain and took over command of B Company, 2/2nd Battalion from Major Charles Green.

Ferguson spent the next nine months unable to take action with the battalion, due to contracting malaria and dengue fever.

[1][2] Recovering from his illnesses, Ferguson was appointed liaison officer at 6th Division headquarters in September 1943 and was promoted to temporary major that month, which became substantive in May 1945.

[1] He later attended the Staff School at Cabarlah, Queensland, and after completing the course he was posted to the 1st Australian Combined Operations Section in October 1944.

[3] With the cessation of hostilities in August 1945, Ferguson volunteered for service in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, where he commanded a company of the 67th Battalion at Kaita, and later on Eta Jima island.

He married Alice Elizabeth (née Browne), a staffer of the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo, on 26 June that year.

[1] While commanding 3RAR, the battalion participated in the withdrawal from North Korea to south of Seoul, suffered through the bitter winter months, the advances and attacks across the 38th parallel and the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the battalion was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation, before withdrawal to the Han River and a further advance to the Imjin River.