He was appointed Brigadier Ulster Defence Regiment in July 1971.
He was the first Roman Catholic commander of the regiment, which was drawn mainly from the Protestant community of Northern Ireland.
He served in Malaya, India, Italy, and Greece with the Gurkhas, eventually reaching the rank of major.
[1] He also served in Malaya and Palestine during internal security operations in the post-war period.
[2] Whether or not it was a conscious decision on the part of the British Ministry of Defence was unknown, but he acknowledged that his religion helped him establish a rapport with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern Ireland.