In 1936, Hart accepted a position in the Middle East with the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). This position was usually the preserve of an Australian or New Zealander due to the number of dead from these two countries buried in the area. Although his new position of Deputy Controller of the Eastern District was nominally based in Jerusalem, he and his wife initially moved to Cairo because of the Arab revolt against the British Mandate in Palestine. It was not until March 1937, after the conditions in Palestine had sufficiently improved, that the couple moved to Jerusalem. They were later joined by their daughter, Bettina, who was married to a British Army officer also based in Jerusalem.