 In 1920, he was commissioned into the King's Own Scottish Borderers, as a 2nd lieutenant, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel by 1939.During this time, he served as the commanding officer of the 6th Battalion of the Scottish Borderers (from 1939 to 1941), as well as assistant adjutant general of the War Office (from 1943 to 1944 – under General Sir Ronald Adam).He was elected into the Royal Company of Archers in 1930, and held a number of political positions, including county councillor for Selkirkshire (from 1946 to 1948) and DL and JP for Selkirkshire.