He became a journalist in 1934 and served during World War II with the Royal Artillery. His wartime experiences led to his novels, "Where the Sea Breaks" (1944), and "The Edge of Darkness", published in 1947. His Canadian prairie experience influenced two of his works, "The Buffalo Soldier", a historical novel about the American West, specifically, the 10th Cavalry Regiment, and "Culloden", about the 1746 battle which resulted in the defeat of the Jacobite uprising. The story of Battle of Culloden had been part of the family lore when he grew up in the predominantly Scottish township of Sutherland, in rural Saskatchewan. His interest in the American West was also inspired by the fact that part of his family lineage was Native American: his 1958 book, "My Great-Aunt, Appearing Day, and Other Stories" tells of a Cheyenne relative named Appearing Day.