He attended the torpedo school, , in 1926 and after qualifying there, joined the destroyer HMS Stuart in the Mediterranean Fleet as torpedo officer. Promoted to lieutenant commander on 15 February 1930, he attended the Royal Naval Staff College in 1931 and then joined the cruiser  on the East Indies Station.
In 1926, he studied at the torpedo school, after which he served as a torpedo officer aboard the destroyer HMS Stuart in the Mediterranean Fleet. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on February 15, 1930, and then attended the Royal Naval Staff College in 1931 before joining the cruiser  on the East Indies Station.