He was then organist of Old Clee parish church and was supplementing his modest income by playing in the local theatre and by working as a compass adjuster.
Seeking better prospects, he left for Canada in 1929 to become organist of St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
[1] In 1937, he was back in Winnipeg, at the downtown parish of All Saints, where he developed a men and boys choir of national renown and initiated choral evensongs on the model of the Church of England cathedrals.
He left Vancouver to become master of music at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, but in 1953 returned to All Saints in Winnipeg.
On a visit to Cambridge University on his way back from Australia, he experienced the annual Advent Carol service of King's College, and the next year introduced the tradition to Canada at All Saints' Church.