Foote's mother died when he was a child and he went to England to board at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne at the age of four.

[3] In 1942 he was appointed Commanding Officer 7th Royal Tank Regiment[3] and it was in this post that he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Gazala.

During the period 27 May to 15 June 1942 in Libya, Lieutenant-Colonel Foote commanded his battalion with outstanding courage and leadership, always being at the crucial point at the right time.

On 6 June, although wounded, he continued to lead his battalion from an exposed position on the outside of a tank, and succeeded in defeating the enemy's attempt to encircle two Allied divisions.

[3] After the end of the war, Foote was flying to Berlin to take part in a victory parade when he had to bail out, as the aircraft was about to crash.