 In April 1914 he was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office and in September 1914 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General with the British Expeditionary Force and promoted to the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and shortly afterwards to the temporary rank of Colonel.While with the BEF, he instituted court martial reforms that increased the remission of death sentences for deserters to 89 per cent of all those sentenced to death by military courts.In 1916 he returned to the War Office as Assistant Adjutant-General, mainly dealing with conscientious objectors, and later the same year was appointed Director of Personal Services, in charge of Army discipline.