 During the First World War, Gore-Browne was sent to the Western Front, where he reached the rank of Lt.-Colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).In 1920 he retired from the army and returned to Northern Rhodesia to settle at Shiwa Ngandu and build his estate, the story of the establishment of his estate is told in The Africa House by Christina Lamb.At his new home Gore-Browne cultivated a military bearing and wore a monocle.