Jacket, Service Dress: Petty Officer Ferguson, BEM, LWM, WRNS

Jacket: double-breasted jacket made of navy blue serge, fitted with two flapped pockets to the lower skirt. The jacket has two rows of three gilt fouled anchor crested buttons and, to the left upper sleeve is sewn a Petty Officer's badge, being two crossed anchors beneath a Crown, worked in light blue thread on a navy blue field. To each upper sleeve are sewn national titles, embroidered in light blue on navy blue, with the text, 'ARGENTINA'. To each cuff are sewn pairs of small gilt regulation buttons, indicating the rank of Petty Officer. Above the left breast are the ribbons indicating the award of the British Empire Medal, and the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea.

Jacket associated with the Second World War service (in the Women's Royal Naval Service) of Mary Ferguson. Maria Elizabeth Ferguson (known as Mary in England) was born in Argentina in 1923 of British parents who were tea planters. Of a robust nature, the young 'tomboy' Mary gained the nickname, 'Johnnie'. Educated in England, her mother wished her to go back to Argentina for safety on the outbreak of hostilities, but as soon as she became 18 she made the decision to return to Britain to play her part. In May 1942 she booked a passenger berth on the cargo ship, Avila Star (then loaded with 5,000 tons of frozen beef), sailing from Buenos Aires to Liverpool on 12 June. Passing Freetown, the ship headed north and was torpedoed on the night of 5 July, the starboard impact wrecking the propulsion machinery and leaving the ship motionless and taking in water. Making her way to her lifeboat, another torpedo struck and Johnnie was flung into the air, injuring her head and knocking her out. She regained consciousness in the oil-covered water and swam in the darkness to the floating remains of a lifeboat. Although sick with the amount of oil she had swallowed she spent that first cold night caring for four other survivors (two of whom died that night from shock and burns). At daylight she swam to another lifeboat just as the wreckage of the former finally sank, there being six such boats in total. Johnnie's boat became detached from the main party and one other was later lost, but the remainder got to safety to the Azores within three days of the sinking, and it was assumed later by the Fergusons that their daughter had perished. For twenty days Johnnie and her fellow survivors endured a perilous journey, their complement of 28 reduced to half due to thirst, starvation, injuries and despair. Sailing and drifting, they were eventually spotted by a Portuguese maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which was able to drop water and a map, and later notified their position to naval units. Three days later they were rescued by a Portuguese naval vessel and taken to Lisbon. Physically reduced to a skeleton, she had a total of 48 sea water boils to her body but later made a full recovery and was flown to Bristol where she almost immediately joined the Women's Royal Naval Service. Specifying that she wanted to serve as boats' crew, she was accepted and trained in all aspects of boat handling, from navigation to competency with the signal code to boat maintenance (she served on liberty boats in Plymouth harbour for the rest of the war). For her bravery in caring for the four injured men on the first night of the ordeal, and the subsequent selflessness she displayed for the remainder of that voyage, 19 year old Johnnie was awarded both the British Empire Medal (BEM) and the Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea; the latter award being unique to a female civilian. Johnnie, who in later life remained remained modestly reticent about her wartime exploits, died in June, 2006, aged 82.

Jacket associated with the Second World War service (in the Women's Royal Naval Service) of Mary Ferguson. Maria Elizabeth Ferguson (known as Mary in England) was born in Argentina in 1923 of British parents who were tea planters. Of a robust nature, the young 'tomboy' Mary gained the nickname, 'Johnnie'. Educated in England, her mother wished her to go back to Argentina for safety on the outbreak of hostilities, but as soon as she became 18 she made the decision to return to Britain to play her part. In May 1942 she booked a passenger berth on the cargo ship, Avila Star (then loaded with 5,000 tons of frozen beef), sailing from Buenos Aires to Liverpool on 12 June. Passing Freetown, the ship headed north and was torpedoed on the night of 5 July, the starboard impact wrecking the propulsion machinery and leaving the ship motionless and taking in water. Making her way to her lifeboat, another torpedo struck and Johnnie was flung into the air, injuring her head and knocking her out. She regained consciousness in the oil-covered water and swam in the darkness to the floating remains of a lifeboat. Although sick with the amount of oil she had swallowed she spent that first cold night caring for four other survivors (two of whom died that night from shock and burns). At daylight she swam to another lifeboat just as the wreckage of the former finally sank, there being six such boats in total. Johnnie's boat became detached from the main party and one other was later lost, but the remainder got to safety to the Azores within three days of the sinking, and it was assumed later by the Fergusons that their daughter had perished. For twenty days Johnnie and her fellow survivors endured a perilous journey, their complement of 28 reduced to half due to thirst, starvation, injuries and despair. Sailing and drifting, they were eventually spotted by a Portuguese maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which was able to drop water and a map, and later notified their position to naval units. Three days later they were rescued by a Portuguese naval vessel and taken to Lisbon. Physically reduced to a skeleton, she had a total of 48 sea water boils to her body but later made a full recovery and was flown to Bristol where she almost immediately joined the Women's Royal Naval Service. Specifying that she wanted to serve as boats' crew, she was accepted and trained in all aspects of boat handling, from navigation to competency with the signal code to boat maintenance (she served on liberty boats in Plymouth harbour for the rest of the war). For her bravery in caring for the four injured men on the first night of the ordeal, and the subsequent selflessness she displayed for the remainder of that voyage, 19 year old Johnnie was awarded both the British Empire Medal (BEM) and the Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea; the latter award being unique to a female civilian. Johnnie, who in later life remained remained modestly reticent about her wartime exploits, died in June, 2006, aged 82.