[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ next_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_color=”#1C3377″ custom_padding=”11px|0px|33px|0px|false|false” bottom_divider_style=”arrow2″ bottom_divider_height=”32px” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.7″ custom_padding=”||9px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.6″ text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font=”Barlow Semi Condensed|||on|||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”50px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_2_font_size=”27px” header_2_letter_spacing=”2px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”|||on|||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_letter_spacing=”2px” header_3_line_height=”1.7em” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”30px||18px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”2em” link_text_color=”#b89632″ header_3_font=”|||on|||||” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_letter_spacing=”2px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n Of all the many documents held in The Highlanders’ Museum archives, a collection of poems dating from 1916-1918 and penned under the pseudonym \u2018Zem Zem\u2019 are some of the most intriguing. The poems were kept by Captain, later Major, GS Smail MC, who was a company commander in the 9th Seaforth during WWI. After his death in 1982, the poems were donated to the museum by a relative.<\/p>\n Zem Zem is believed to be the pseudonym of Captain JJH Ferguson MC RAMC, who for a short period in 1916 was the Medical Officer of the 9th (Pioneers) Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. He was a prolific writer of sometimes scurrilous verse, the target of his wit often being the 9th Battalion\u2019s Commanding Officer, Lt.Colonel Timothy Fetherstonhaugh DSO, a pre-war regular soldier whose uncompromising standards seemed incomprehensible to the erstwhile medical superintendent and temporary soldier.<\/p>\n When not poking fun at his Commanding Officer, Zem Zem\u2019s poems are an affectionately observed commentary on the men of 9th Seaforths, life in the trenches, the hardships faced and the destruction wrought upon the fields and towns of Northern France. In this series of blogs, we will tell the story of the 9th Seaforths during WWI as seen through the eyes of Zem Zem, his poems and his clashes with \u2018Tiger Tim\u2019.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-3px|||” custom_padding=”0px||18px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|auto|-10px|auto||” custom_padding=”2px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thehighlandersmuseum.com\/newversion\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Battle-of-the-Scarpe-Seaforth-Highlanders-image-courtesy-of-longlongtrail.co_.uk_.jpg” alt=”Battle of the Scarpe – Seaforth Highlanders – image courtesy of longlongtrail.co.uk” title_text=”Battle of the Scarpe – Seaforth Highlanders – image courtesy of longlongtrail.co.uk” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”5px||2px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.6″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”2em” link_font=”||||on||||” link_text_color=”#b89632″ header_3_font=”|||on|||||” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_letter_spacing=”2px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”||-3px|||” custom_padding=”||49px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n John James Harrower Ferguson was born on 7th September 1881 at Newburgh in Fife. His father, James Ferguson, worked as an Officer of the Receiver or Inland Revenue as it is known today. A brother, Bertram, was born in 1886 whilst the family were living in Aberfeldy and by 1891 the family had moved to Angus where John attended Brechin High school. In 1900 he moved to Edinburgh to study medicine at the University, where he was awarded the Aitken Carlyle bursary for Anatomy after his first year and elected President of the Student Council in his third. He graduated in 1906 and completed post-graduate studies at University College London specialising in mental illness, before taking up the post of Medical Assistant at the Perth and Kinross Asylum near Cupar, Fife, in May 1907. At that time the asylum, also known as Stratheden, cared for 655 patients and employed over 100 staff. Today Stratheden is a community hospital, still caring for patients with mental health issues.<\/p>\n He was clearly a very popular doctor, both socially and professionally. He opened the batting for the hospital cricket team, and was a leading light in the dramatic society, helping to stage the annual Christmas dance and entertainment for the staff and patients. The farce Chiselling presented in December 1912, in which he played Trotter, a manservant, was described as \u2018screamingly funny\u2019 by the Dundee Courier and in the following year\u2019s production A Cure for the Fidgits<\/em> the cast, including Dr Ferguson, \u2018performed their respective parts splendidly\u2019.<\/p>\n In November 1914 he was promoted to Medical Superintendent following the retirement of the incumbent due to ill health. Quoting the Chairman of the District Board of Control, the St Andrews Citizen noted that \u201cDr Ferguson had given great satisfaction, and had done very good work particularly during the nine months in 1910 that he had been left in full charge of the Asylum in the absence, through illness, of Dr Turnbull\u201d. The Board went on to note that the hospital had received very good reports from His Majesty\u2019s Commissioners and Dr Ferguson deserved his share of the credit for that.<\/p>\n