Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey (1902-09). At the age of seven, he attempted to join a touring Shakespearean troupe. On leaving scholl he joined P&O and B.I Steam Navigation Companies in Guernsey. At the outbreak of World War I he enlisted as a private before commissioning with the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry, transferring to the Royal Irish Fusiliers in July 1915. The Fusilers were mobilised to France in January 1916 where he was seriously wounded, returning to Guernsey to recuperate from his injuries. He returned to France once again in April 1918, this time with the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry as Recreational Training Officer, serving at General Headquarters , Montreuil. He was demobilised in 1921.