 When as a lance corporal (acting corporal) serving in the 150th Field Company, Corps of Royal Engineers attached to the 36th Ulster Division.The following action took place at Tugny-et-Pont on the Saint-Quentin Canal for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).This action took place on the second day of the battle of Saint-Quentin, which was part of Operation Michael that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918.