He became involved with his school's Cadet Corps unit, and from 1887 served for four years as a lieutenant in the Dunedin City Guards.

[3] In April 1892, Fulton was commissioned in the British Army with the rank of second lieutenant in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

It conducted operations against Boer commandos in the northern Transvaal around the town of Ottoshoop, during which Fulton was severely wounded.

Made an acting lieutenant colonel, he was placed in command of the infantry battalion that was to be part of the Samoan Expeditionary Force (SEF) intended to occupy German Samoa.

After serving occupation duty for several months, the main contingent of the SEF returned to New Zealand in April 1915.

The 2nd Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Stewart, was assigned to assist the Western Frontier Force (WFF) which at the time was participating in the Senussi Campaign.

Both battalions had conducted themselves well in garrison and offensive operations against the Senussi, and on their departure, Major-General A. Wallace, commander of Western Frontier Force, expressed his regret "at losing the comradeship of a reliable body of men of whom England may well be proud.

[19] After serving a spell in the Armentières sector of the Western Front, Fulton led the NZRB in its first major engagement of the war, the Battle of Flers-Courcelette.

This took place in mid-September 1916 during the Somme Offensive, and for a portion of the battle, two battalions of the 1st Infantry Brigade came under Fulton's command.

[1] In February 1918, having been in the front line for four months, the brigade entered a period of rest and training during which Fulton took leave.

The day after his arrival, his headquarters at Colincamps was hit by an artillery barrage which injured Fulton and killed several of his staff.

[3][Note 2] He was survived by his wife of 13 years who was a nurse at the New Zealand General Hospital at Brockenhurst in England at the time of his death.