He served in World War I and remained in the army, attending the British Staff College, Camberley.
In May 1939, he announced to the RMC on behalf of the Commandant 816 Brigadier K. Stuart that the present class would not be offered commissions until June 1941.
This decision was made because the government had decided that an applicant for a Canadian commission had to be at least 20 years old.
The largest recruit class since World War I, one hundred cadets, arrived in Kingston, Ontario in August 1940.
He was promoted to Brigadier, General Staff, army headquarters and Major-General Commanding Officer of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division from January 1943 to October 1943.