Born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, he was a member of the Hallamshire Harriers in Sheffield.

He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and won a team gold in the 3 mile and an individual silver in the 1500 metres race.

[7] He was also part of Britain's five-man gold medal-winning team in the three-mile race.

His teammates were Archie Robertson, Norman Hallows, Joe Deakin and William Coales.

On 29 November 1915, he enlisted as a Private in the West Yorkshire Regiment, serving overseas during World War I.