He spent his whole career at the University of St Andrews, and had a special interest in the history and archaeology of Cyprus and southern Turkey, making many expeditions to these areas.
Later he served in the Special Boat Service in the Aegean, where in February 1944 he eliminated the German garrison of the holy island of Patmos, and distributed food to the starving population.
When the SBS moved to the Adriatic, he returned to Crete as Liaison Officer with ELAS, and battles against the German occupying forces.
[2] For his war service to Greece, he was decorated by the Greek King, exceptionally, with the Knight's Cross of the Royal Order of George I, with Swords.
[4] After the war, he returned to St Andrews (where he was attached to the Officer Training Corps[5]) and resumed his archaeological explorations in Cyprus.
He found many previously unknown inscriptions, assisting the work of the Austrian Academy of Sciences's Committee for the Archaeological Exploration of Asia Minor.