[3] During the First World War he was a captain in the Meteorological Section of the Royal Engineers,[4] serving in England and France as an instructor, experimenter and forecaster.
In 1915 his installation at Aldershot of a lightning recorder enabled aircraft pilots to be warned of approaching thunderstorms, putting Britain ahead of other nations in this respect.
Later in his career, his study of telephotography led to an interest in antiquarian subjects: he took more than 8,000 photographs of roof carvings in medieval English churches and cathedrals, on which he was regarded as a leading authority.
His documentary archive, together with a large collection of photographs and camera equipment, are held at the Society of Antiquaries of London.
[8] Negatives and lantern slides of his architectural photographs are held by the National Monuments Record and the Conway Library archive, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London.