[1][2] Educated at Wellington College, Turle began his naval career at a young age, entering HMS Britannia in September 1898.

[9] In March 1918, he was appointed second-in-command of the Otranto Barrage, a naval blockade between Italy and Corfu which was intended to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Navy from exiting the Adriatic into the Mediterranean.

In November 1918, during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, he was sent to Crimea to visit the Tsar's ageing mother, Maria Feodorovna.

Arriving on HMS Tribune and accompanied by a White-Russian officer, the mission was to inform the Dowager Empress of Royal concern for her safety and implore her to return with them to Constantinople.

The fleet-commander was Rear Admiral Lord Cork, to whom Turle served as Chief Staff Officer during this period.

[14] On 21 April 1938, Turle married Jane Gillies Gray, at St George's, Hanover Square, London, the daughter of James Gray, DL, JP, of Wemyss Bay, Renfrewshire, Scotland; the couple had two sons, the eldest of whom was SAS officer Arish Turle.

In October 1940, Italian forces invaded Greece and Turle was the senior British naval advisor in assisting the Greek defence.

This was done to prevent the Italian forces from receiving oil from the Black Sea an sever the German supply line from reaching Rommel's Afrika Korps.