Lee enlisted in the army in September 1914 and served until December 1915; although shot in the leg, declared dead and taken prisoner of war, he survived and returned to play for Middlesex in 1919.

He secured his place in the team with three strong all-round seasons, and was twice part of a top four when each batsman scored a century in the same innings—he shares this achievement with Jack Hearne.

His two younger brothers also played first-class cricket; both Jack and Frank moved to Somerset after failing to break into the Middlesex team.

[4] Along with approximately 25 other boys, Lee was invited for a trial at Lord's early in 1906, and bowled under the observation of Alfred Atfield and the head groundsman, Tom Hearne.

Lee described his first over as "six of the worst balls that anyone can ever have pitched", but as his nerves calmed, he improved, and was eventually selected as one of the five ground staff boys by Hearne.

[5] As a ground boy, Lee had numerous tasks; sweeping, dusting and cleaning the seats, preparing nets, marking the pitch, weeding and similar.

No formal coaching was in place, but Lee was guided by a few different players; England internationals Teddy Wynyard and Albert Trott among them.

[13] The first of these appearances, against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, brought Lee his first wicket in first-class cricket when he caught Charles Baker off his own bowling.

[17] Lee joined the MCC bowling staff in 1913 at the invitation of A. J. Webbe,[18] but he was used sparingly in first-class cricket that season, playing just three times, all for Middlesex.

His "plucky knock" was praised by captain Pelham Warner,[19] who promoted him to bat at number five in the fourth innings, by which stage the game was heading for a draw.

Two early season appearances against Oxford and Cambridge universities brought a few runs, and a match for the MCC against Hampshire saw Lee bat at number six in both innings.

[25] Initially, even after the declaration of war, Lee did not feel that there would be any impact on his life, and was looking forward to playing cricket in the 1915 season.

The "second line", 2/13th Battalion, of men who had not volunteered for overseas service and new recruits was initially at White City, London prior to moving to Maidstone, Kent in January 1915.

For the first half of the two-day journey, Lee had to lie on a wooden seat with a blanket under him and his leg in an iron case, which hurt his back significantly, and was provided with no food.

[39] During his stay in Hannover, Lee began to heal quickly, but after receiving advice from a fellow prisoner, he greatly exaggerated the injury, and was selected to be returned to England.

[39] Although Lee had amplified the severity of his injury, in England he discovered that one of his legs would be permanently shorter than the other, and he had suffered significant muscle death.

[40] Having been invalided out of the Army, Lee worked as a filing clerk in the War Office, a position which allowed him plenty of time to play cricket with the MCC and in other wartime matches.

Towards the end of the summer in 1916, he met Frank Tarrant's wife, who suggested that Lee should accompany her husband to work in India.

[43] The rest of the journey was completed without incident, despite a rumour that the Emden, a German light cruiser, lay in wait for the convoy.

[41] In India, Lee worked as a football and cricket coach for the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, but was treated more like a guest than a paid retainer.

[48] Lee's highest score, and only century in first-class cricket in India was made in a match he was playing against the Maharaja of Cooch Behar's team.

[50] Even with these shorter matches, Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season for the first time in his career,[13] and won himself a regular place in the Middlesex side.

[59] In A History of Cricket, H. S. Altham and E. W. Swanton praise Lee's "all-round excellence" during the season:[59] in addition to his runs, he claimed 40 wickets in the Championship at an average of 22.40.

[60] Lee's performances put him in contention for a place on the English touring party to travel to Australia that winter, but he eventually missed out on selection.

[51] Instead, he travelled to South Africa for the first of many winters playing and coaching in the country, accepting an invitation from the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg.

[note 1][64] Middlesex won the County Championship once more, and Lee finished third in both the batting and bowling tables, behind Hearne and Hendren amongst the batsmen,[65] and Jack Durston and Haig, the bowlers.

No fewer than seven players were missing at various stages,[77] and the England captain, Percy Chapman, requested that Lee be excused from his coaching duties to join up with the touring party.

[77] Lee felt he had no need to apologise, and never received either cap or blazer, though small compensation came in the form of an England touring tie, which Jack Hobbs gave to him.

[1][84] Though Lee passed 1,000 first-class runs in each of 1932 and 1933, he did so with averages under 25,[13] and in 1934 he was dropped from the Middlesex side in order to encourage some younger players to break into the team.

[51] His style was unattractive to watch, but effective, and although Hearne and Hendren drew most of the plaudits for their more colourful methods, Lee received praise for his toughness and courage.