He joined the Department of Defence as a military staff clerk in 1910, working in the Quarter-Master General's branch at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, then in August 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, volunteered for the First AIF.
to clarify a number of points for his history, inspect war graves, and collect material for future portrayal of events.
The party included photographer Hubert Wilkins, painter George Lambert,[3] Lieutenant Herbert S. Buchanan, in charge of mapping, and a team of surveyors and draftsmen.
Between December 1944 and September 1946, he was attached to MacArthur's South West Pacific Area (SWPA) headquarters, first in Brisbane, then from April 1945 in Manila,[6] processing records relating to AIF operations against Japanese forces.
[8] Their children include three sons: Gordon, Bruce and Don, and two daughters: Gwen and Dorothy (Mrs John French).