Harry Ferguson’s gift to humanity a century ago on Armistice Day, 1925

Harry Ferguson as part of his vision for humanity itself thought of his Ferguson Master Patent as a way to enable farmers to grow more food more cheaply and in doing so it would better not just their lives but the lives of everyone ultimately in the hope to end hunger and poverty. By improving people’s lives he also thought this would help end conflicts and wars.

Today as we mark Armistice Day Harry Ferguson deliberately filed the complete specification with corrections of his Ferguson Master Patent on this day at Belfast a century ago. There is no doubt that his invention of the modern tractor with quickly interchangeable implements, weight transfer and automatic depth control was a revolution in agriculture. Up there with the invention of the plough and the invention of the mass produced mechanical reaper by Cyrus Hall McCormick in 1831 who like Harry Ferguson was also an Ulster-Scot.

Harry Ferguson’s vision of 1925 would finally be perfected ten years later as the Ferguson System of farm mechanisation in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland during autumn 1935.

As a visionary Harry Ferguson could see the clouds of war return to Europe in the mid-1930s with the rise of fascism and the evil of German Nazi Dictator, Adolf Hitler. He stated that the world would soon be at war again.Harry Ferguson wrote to newspapers lobbying the Northern Ireland and UK governments about how important it was for farmers to have the tools for increased food production when war returned. These tools being as important as weapons of war and stated his Ferguson System would also be as vital as guns to win the next war.

In 1936 the Ferguson-Brown Type A, the world’s first Ferguson System tractor would commence production but just over 700 had been built by 1938. Harry Ferguson did have his Ferguson System in production but for it to have the impact he wanted it needed to be mass produced in hundreds of thousands and not just hundreds.

The gentleman’s agreement between Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford in late 1938 ensured that the world’s first mass produced Ferguson System tractor the little grey Ford-Ferguson would be built by the Ford Motor Company in the USA in huge numbers and at the lowest possible price thanks to volume of scale. Ford-Ferguson’s began arriving in the UK in large numbers early in 1940, 85 years ago. Harry Ferguson paid the Ford Motor Company for each tractor at the factory gate in the USA and then imported the tractor to the UK, the Ferguson Company standing the cost of any that were lost because of German U boat attacks.

Here in Northern Ireland the Ford-Ferguson was extremely popular and key to the war effort in growing more home grown food. The Northern Ireland government paid Harry Ferguson for each tractor that arrived at the docks. A hire purchase scheme based on need, then allowed farmers to pay for the tractor over a number of years. This allowed the department of agriculture in Northern Ireland like the rest of the UK to keep close control of each tractor and implements to ensure they were used to the maximum.

By the time of Victory in Europe was declared 80 years ago over 3,000 was in use here helping to ensure the UK was not reliant on food imports by growing enough food at home.

Sadly today on Armistice Day, 2025 Harry Ferguson’s hope to end all wars and conflicts with his invention has still not been realised, however one thing is for certain as part of the human race we have all benefited from his invention in Northern Ireland of the modern tractor a century ago.

Stevan Patterson Castlederg, Co. Tyrone.