 He did not take part in the ill-fated journey to the South pole due to a knee injury sustained while playing football in the snow, and instead took part in the second western journey along with Griffith Taylor, Tryggve Gran and William Forde.On his return from the expedition in 1913, he entered Cambridge University to write up his field notes.During World War I, he was a lieutenant with the 7th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.