Howie enlisted in the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment as soon as he finished his education. In 1940, the battalion was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. In May of the same year, the battalion advanced into Belgium to stop the German invasion, but were pushed back to a defensive line at the Escaut river. Serving as a corporal during the Battle of the Escaut, Howie was killed in action on 22 May 1940. The battalion was forced back from the Escaut to the Dunkirk beachhead soon after, and was evacuated to England. Howie is buried at Heverlee War Cemetery.