He was commissioned into the part-time King's Own (3rd Staffordshire) Rifle Militia on 6 April 1863 and served on the staff of the Burma Expedition of 1886. He became commanding officer of the battalion (by then part of the North Staffordshire Regiment) with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on 29 May 1893. After retiring from the command he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the battalion on 3 December 1898.