He was a captain in World War I, serving in France with the York and Lancaster Regiment, where he received the Military Cross twice[2][3] and was mentioned in Dispatches.

[2]On the second occasion, also in 1918, he: Led his company with great dash and determination against a group of houses strongly held by the enemy, and drove them out with heavy casualties.

[4] Ronald Rivlin describes Wilson in 1944 as a "bluff, outgoing, middle aged Yorkshireman"[6] who "enthusiastically encouraged" him in his research ideas around the theory of elasticity.

With this moral courage went unconscionable physical bravery as revealed by his antics on war service in France where he took to night-time excursions in no-man's land to relieve boredom in front-line trenches, and also, more recently, by his car driving which could be quite fearful for passengers.

[10] He also credited with knowing how to pick and build a successful team: He chose his staff on trusted recommendation or by intuition, and thus assembled a group which radically advanced the science of rubber [at the BRPRA] ... His stimulating ebullience, his concern with work not red tape, and his abiding principle to support and fight to the limit for his staff outside the laboratories (however much he might assail them inside) engendered immense loyalty and a wonderful team spirit.