Remembering the Ford-Ferguson Agreement

As part of a wonderful day of events celebrating the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ days in the centre of Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland on Saturday the 24th May, I unveiled a special plaque to mark 85 years since Harry Ferguson presented Henry Ford with a plaque/money clip in May, 1940. Both were in England at the time lobbying the government to build the Ford-Ferguson tractor in the United Kingdom, which sadly did not happen Few have heard of the plaque/money clip, a very important part of the Ferguson tractor story that deserves to be told and by unveiling the anniversary plaque l hope to rectify this.

85 years ago during the darkest time of the Second World War as the United Kingdom stood alone and in retreat to advancing German and other Axis forces in May, 1940 Harry Ferguson presented Henry Ford with a special plaque/money clip that he handmade. The message despite being penned at a very bleak time showed Harry Ferguson’s resolute belief that the war would end in victory by good conquering evil through technology and with victory the return of world peace.

At the time both Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford were business partners as a result of the 1938 Gentleman’s Agreement that made the world’s first mass produced Ferguson System tractor, the Ford-Ferguson possible. Production getting fully going at the start of the Second World War. September, 1939 also saw the first two Ford-Ferguson’s arrive not just in Northern Ireland but in Europe Ford-Ferguson tractors designed by Harry Ferguson and his engineers from Northern Ireland were coming off the Ford Motor Company production line at Detroit, Michigan USA., by May, 1940 in ever increasing thousands, many being shipped across the Atlantic to help in the plough for victory campaign. Both Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford believed that the Ford-Ferguson tractor was a vital part of the war effort in the need to increase food production. Harry Ferguson realised how special the agreement was with Henry Ford as Ford’s only business partner and the plaque/money clip was a way to personally show his appreciation.

The plaque/money clip cut from metal and shaped by the hands of Harry Ferguson shows an outline of a Ferguson System tractor and trailer mounted on a wooden background. Harry Ferguson worked on the plaque when in Northern Ireland, before going to England. I believe Harry Ferguson used a trailer and not a plough as it was easier for him to cut and shape. An intellectual giant and genius he was, but he was not that gifted in making things with his hands, often leaving that to others,like William Sands. The making of it by hand, made it very special to Henry Ford.The message that he inscribed on the plaque was very profound and goes to Harry Ferguson’s underlying belief of his vision of the modern tractor in 1925 to better lives and in so doing end conflict and wars. It was inspired by Isaiah Chapter 2 verse 4 in the Bible.

The inscription on the plaque reads:

“Henry Ford from Harry Ferguson. At a time of great world anxiety but with pleasant memories of our Gentleman’s Agreement and looking forward to the day when we shall together help to beat swords into plough shares and bring peace to the world, May,1940.”

Exactly five years later peace would return to Europe by Victory in Europe over evil on the 8th May, 1945 and to the world on the 15th August with Victory over evil in Japan that brought the Second World War to a close.

2025 is also the centenary of Harry Ferguson’s invention of the modern tractor and compounds the importance of the Ford-Ferguson tractor that made the revolutionary ideas from 1925 a reality in a mass produced tractor and at a price affordable by the poorest farmer. The Ford-Ferguson was a game changing tractor made from 1939-1947. It was light years ahead of the competition and this made it very successful, with over 306,000 produced, indeed every tractor today can trace its ancestry back to this little grey tractor.

On the 10th January 1940 when land around Parliament Buildings at Stormont was put under the plough to help publicise the Plough for Victory campaign in Northern Ireland, Harry Ferguson announced: “Thanks to his Ferguson System and the Ford-Ferguson tractor, Northern Ireland will become the granary of Britain”, and he was right as the tractor helped ensure Northern Ireland grew 20 percent of the United Kingdom’s vital food during the war. Farmers in Northern Ireland knew the many advantages of the tractor with the Ferguson System as by the end of the war over 3,000 would be in use across Northern Ireland alone.

The anniversary plaque was etched on gloss black plastic by local engraver Maurice Barclay using the latest laser technology. Black was chosen as it was harry Ferguson’s favourite colour, the silver represents the silver polished metal finish of the original plaque/money clip. I think Harry Ferguson would approve in how it was created and that the underlying message is just as relevant today as it was 85 years ago.

Stevan Patterson, published in Journal No. 114, Autumn 2025,