[1] In April 1885 he was appointed as the first lieutenant of the gunvessel Condor, and in this role was landed in the Eastern Sudan to take part in the Second Suakin Expedition.

[1] He was clearly highly though of, because his next appointment, in February 1886, was as the first lieutenant of "the most-sought-after sea-going ship in the Service",[1] the central battery ironclad Alexandra.

[Note 2] He was promoted to commander on 30 June 1889,[4] and was appointed to HMS Trafalgar, which had replaced Alexandra as flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet.

[15] He was awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy in recognition of services rendered by the squadron during the earthquake at Messina in Sicily in 1908.

[1] Promoted to the rank of vice admiral on 24 August 1910,[17] he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 19 June 1911 as part of the King's coronation list.

[1][20] He was placed on the retired list at his own request on 9 June 1916,[21] "in order to make room for the promotion of younger officers who are rendering important services to the Empire in this war".