He served in the early part of the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1900 and was present in the engagements at Belmont in November 1899, being mentioned in despatches twice, and received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He returned to South Africa in 1902 commanding a battalion of mounted infantry and was granted the local rank of major on 20 April 1902. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he returned to the United Kingdom on board the SS "Ortona", which arrived in Southampton in September that year.