He was educated at Weymouth College, and graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 9th out of 1,100 cadets. He joined the 2nd Battalion, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry as a second lieutenant on 13 August 1892, while it was stationed in Bombay. Promoted to lieutenant on 7 January 1894, he first saw action in India in the Tirah expedition from 1897 to 1898, for which he was awarded the medal and clasp of the Tirah Expedition. He was promoted to captain on 26 July 1899, and with his battalion was transferred to South Africa following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October that year. The battalion took part in the battles of Belmont and Enslin in November 1899, where Yate was seriously wounded. After the war ended in June 1902, he transferred with the battalion to Malta, leaving Point Natal on the SS "Staffordshire" in October.