 Severely wounded in early January 1900, during the Defence of Ladysmith, he was later back in action and was promoted to captain on 15 March 1901.After the end of the war in June 1902, Higgins left Cape Town in the "SS Bavarian" in August, returning to Southampton the following month.For his service during the war, he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) dated 29 November 1900.