Before World War I, he was a teacher at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne and in 1912 he taught at Winchester House School in Deal, Kent. He joined the army in September 1914 and went to serve in France. He was gassed at Ypres in May 1915.
After the Coalition government ended he remained an advocate of close co-operation between the Liberal and Conservative parties; He was a supporter of Winston Churchill and like Churchill contested the 1924 General election as a Constitutionalist at Nottingham West. He was unsuccessful at the election and before the 1929 General election, he had joined the Conservatives, standing as a candidate for them in 1929.