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East Maitland,
27 April 1916
Dear General Foster,
Just before I left Sydney my son, who has a commission in the 3rd Divisional Cyclists, told me that Brissenden of the New South Wales bar, had been transferred to them from the engineers as a Corporal. I hope you will not mind my telling you what I know about Brissenden. He is an LL.D., and has a practice at the Bar that would entitle him to take silk as a matter of course if he asked for it. Apart altogether from his legal attainments, he is a man of outstanding ability and strength of character, with a very wide range of interests and accomplishments. He is amongst other things a very competent mechanic. I remember seeing years ago a heliograph that he had designed and constructed.
I am sure that if you knew Brissenden, and saw him doing a subaltern's job, you would look upon it as an unfortunate waste of good material. I have not seen him, and have no idea what his own views are, or whether he would be pleased at my interference. I quite understand that there may be difficulties under our local regulations in giving him any higher appointment. Perhaps these difficulties would not operate so strongly at the front, and I feel sure that you would be doing a public service by mentioning him to the Divisional Commander, who would probably be able to find a better use for him.
I have some hesitation about butting in in this way but I know you will pardon me.
Yours very sincerely,
David G. Ferguson