He began his seafaring career sailing in four-masted barques around the Horn. He later sailed between Britain and Nova Scotia before trasnsferring to steamers in the Persian Gulf. He worked for the Cunard Line before moving east to command steamers in the South China Sea. During WW1 he served in the Indian Army on the North-West Frontier and Mesopotamia. He was with General Townshend on the ill-fated advance on Baghdad and narrowly escaped capture by being seconded to the Royal Navy to take a gun-boat down the Tigris.
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