 When the First World War broke out he enlisted in the 9th Royal Scots on 11 November 1914.While serving in France he won the French medallion in a 1½ mile race for his regiment.He reached the front line in January 1915 where he was wounded in the knee; he was again wounded in the stomach in August 1916 as a result of a bayonet charge, and made a full recovery while in Merry Flatts Hospital, Govan, in Glasgow.