He served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment in the Second Boer War 1899–1901, including as part of the Ladysmith Relief Force, and was severely wounded at the battle of Spion Kop, for which he received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He was promoted captain on 5 October 1901. During the latter part of the war he served with the 3rd Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, and returned home with the other officers and men of this battalion in the "SS Kinfauns Castle" leaving Cape Town in early August 1902, after the war had ended. Following their return, he relinquished his commission with the Imperial Yeomanry in September 1902, and returned to the Lancashire Fusiliers. He did not stay long, however, as later the same year he was seconded to serve with the Gold Coast Regiment.