He served on the Western Front, including a period attached to the Australian 3rd Division where he made the acquaintance of Charles Bean.

He attended school at Renmark before going on to a brilliant academic career at the University College, North Adelaide, when his essays showed an understanding beyond his 16 years.

He soon made the acquaintance of Charles Bean, who recruited him as an assistant official war correspondent for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

He commenced his new role, which entailed him giving up his rank, albeit with pay equivalent to that of a captain in the AIF, in January 1918.

He left the same year when he was commissioned to write the volume of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 that dealt with the Australian Flying Corps.

[7] Cutlack's book, The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918, was published in 1923 and sold around 18,500 copies.

[2] With his book completed, Cutlack then joined the staff of Prime Minister Stanley Bruce for the duration of the 1923 Imperial Conference before returning to work at the Sydney Morning Herald.

He accompanied John Latham on the Australian Eastern Mission of 1934, after which he published Manchurian Arena,[2] a commentary on the China/Japan relationship.

Cutlack met Morant while living in Renmark, and believed his execution to be an inappropriate application of military justice.