 In 1916 he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and later serving in the British Royal Flying Corps he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for destruction of enemy aircraft and observation balloons.After the war he became a commercial pilot for Western Canada Airways, most notably supporting mining development by flying 23 tons of cargo to a remote exploration site.Flying the material was less costly than packing it in overland, and helped establish the usefulness of aviation for the development of Canada's North.