Fergus McMaster (1879 - 1950)

Born 3 May 1879 in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Husband of Edith May (Scougall) McMaster — married 29 Aug 1911 in Queensland, Australia

Husband of Edna (Faulkner) McMaster — married 21 Jun 1922 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Descendants

Died 8 Aug 1950 at age 71 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services

Biography

Sir Fergus McMaster

Fergus McMaster is Notable.

Sir Fergus McMaster was born on Mornish, the family property near Rockhampton, Colony of Queensland (Australia) on the 3rd of May 1879. He was the fourth and youngest son of William McMaster and Jessie Scott. ^[1] His father was killed in a mine accident when Fergus was six years old.

Fergus was a farmer

He became a pastoralist near Winton, in Queensland's central west.

Fergus married Edith Scougall on the 29th of August 1911 in Queensland. ^[2] Sadly, Edith died in 1913, after giving birth to their daughter:

• Jean Scougall (1912-2004)

He lost an older brother, George, in 1918 on the Western Front in France.

Following a meeting in Brisbane during the week of the Royal Queensland Show in August 1920 between Fergus, Ainslie Templeton and Alexander Kennedy (western Queensland graziers), Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness (aviators), Hope Michod (a Longreach medical doctor) and Alan Campbell of the Queensland Primary Producers, on 16th November 1920 the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (QANTAS) was registered.

Fergus' mother having passed away in 1921 he married a second time, to Edna Faulkner on the 21st of June 1922, in Brisbane, Queensland.^[3]

Together, the couple had:

• Kenneth George (1923-1966)
• Ross Faulkner (1924-1944); killed in action over Germany piloting his Avro Lancaster bomber
• unknown son

In 1934, Fergus' daughter, Jean married Graham Fysh, younger brother of Qantas co-founder, Hudson Fysh.

By 1937 Fergus was chairman of the Qantas board. He was created Knight Bachelor in the New Year's Honours 1941 for his services to the aviation industry. ^[4]

In November 1944, his second son, Ross, a Pilot Officer in the RAAF, was killed over Germany flying an Avro Lancaster bomber.

Aged 71 years, Sir Fergus passed away in Brisbane, Queensland on the 8th of August 1950 in Queensland. ^[5]

QANTAS Airbus

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland BMD Birth registration: Name: Fergus McMaster; Birth date:03/05/1879; Mother's name:Jessie Scott; Father/parent's name:William McMaster; Registration details:1879/C/6368
2. ↑ Queensland BMD Marriage registration: Name: Fergus McMaster; Marriage date:29/08/1911; Spouse's name:Edtih May Scougall; Registration details:1911/C/3495.
3. ↑ Queensland BMD Marriage registration: Name: Edna Faulkner; Marriage date:21/06/1922; Spouse's name:Fergus McMaster; Registration details:1922/B/30278.
4. ↑ Australian Honours: Knight Bachelor; accessed 7 Oct 2022
5. ↑ Queensland BMD Death registration: Name: Fergus McMaster; Death date:08/08/1950; Mother's name:Jessie Scott; Father/parent's name:William; Registration details:1950/B/28294.

See Also:

• Fysh, Sir Hudson. Qantas Rising: The Autobiography of the Flying Fysh. Angus & Robertson,1965. ISBN 978 1 876561 53 6.
• Fysh, Sir Hudson. Qantas at War. Angus & Robertson, 1968. ISBN 978 1 876561 52 9) and
• Fysh, Sir Hudson. Wings to the World: The Story of Qantas 1945-1966. Angus & Robertson, 1970. ISBN 978 1 876561 51 2.
• McDonald, Lorna L. 'McMaster, Sir Fergus (1879–1950)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1986; accessed online 9 Oct 2022.
• Wikipedia: Fergus McMaster.