A sailor on the Royal Navy, he won several Imperial Services Championships, but began his pro career with two defeats.
[1] In February 1919 he beat former British bantamweight champion Curley Walker on points and in November drew with Ted Moore.
He successfully defended his British title in January 1923 against Johnny Brown at the Industrial Hall in Edinburgh,[3] but lost both titles at Olympia in May to Harry Mason, after being disqualified in the thirteenth round for low blows.
After being out of the ring in 1925 he returned in January 1926 to fight Tommy McInnes, losing by an eighth-round knockout.
It was almost two and a half years before his next fight, a win over Kid Charlie at the New World Arena in Singapore.