Herman Arend Ferguson
Herman Arend Ferguson was a Dutch civil engineer and hydraulic engineer who contributed to water management in The Netherlands. He played a central role in the recovery efforts following the inundation of Walcheren in 1944, and the works to repair the significant damage caused by the North Sea flood of 1953. He held senior positions at Rijkswaterstaat, authored several key publications on hydraulic engineering, and was awarded the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
Life and career
Herman Arend Ferguson was born on 25 February 1911 in Voorburg, the son of George Ferguson and Francesca Hermina van den Brandhof. He was of Scottish ancestry. He graduated in 1938 with a degree in Civil Engineering from Delft University of Technology. After graduation, he joined Rijkswaterstaat, where he was employed in the Studiedienst of the Directie Benedenrivieren.During 1945–46, Ferguson was part of the Dienst Droogmaking Walcheren, which was established to oversee the reclamation of the island of Walcheren after the intentional inundation of the island during World War II. The character Rafelding in the non-fiction novel Het verjaagde water by A. den Doolaard is based on Ferguson.
Afterwards, Ferguson moved to Vlissingen and worked for Rijkswaterstaat's Dienst Dijkherstel Zeeland following the North Sea flood of 1953. He became head of the Waterloopkundige Afdeling of the Delta Service from 1956 to 1960, and subsequently headed the Rotterdamse Waterweg arrondissement. Ferguson was appointed Chief Engineering Director of the Directie Benedenrivieren and later of the Delta Service, where he contributed to significant water engineering projects, including the Delta Works and the improvement of the Nieuwe Waterweg.
Ferguson was deeply involved in the design and construction of the Haringvliet sluices, which were critical for water flow regulation and flood protection in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta. He also contributed to the closure of tidal inlets including the Haringvliet and Brouwershavense Gat, major Delta Works schemes which were required to ensure that flood risks were mitigated.
Publications
Ferguson authored and contributed to numerous technical reports and publications over his career, including:Benedenrivieren in de jaren zestig: persoonlijke herinneringen van een hoofdingenieur-directeur Dialoog met de Noordzee, an exploration of the influence of human intervention on the Dutch Delta.Delta-visie: een terugblik op veertig jaar natte waterbouw in Zuidwest Nederland De Nederlandse delta: een compromis tussen milieu en techniek in de strijd tegen het water Zes-baksduwvaart: een studie naar algemene en nautische aspekten The Netherlands Delta Project: Problems and lessons Nota over de concentratie van waterbouwkundige werken in een aparte dienst De waterstaatkundige veranderingen in Deltagebied en hun invloed op het Waterstaatsbeheer Golfonderzoek in het deltagebied Waterloopkundig onderzoek voor ontwerp en uitvoering der sluitgaten in de deltadammen De zoutbeweging op de Rotterdamsche Waterweg in het bijzonder bij geringe opperwater-afvoer Herstellings- en verbeteringswerken na de ramp van 1 februari 1953 Verslag over de toestand der oevers en stranden in Zeeland 1951 VI: oevers langs Keeten, Mastgat en Zijpe Verslag over de waarnemingen met de "Oceaan" in het mondingsgebied van de Westerschelde Inleiding tot de getijberekening.Most of these publications are maintained in electronic format by the Rijkswaterstaat archive.