In 1914 he went to Europe. He wanted to study at the Paris Conservatoire but this was closed because of the political situation. He went on to Germany to attend the Bayreuth Festival, but World War I started and he was taken prisoner and kept at the Ruhleben civilian detention camp near Berlin. He helped the other people who were prisoners in the camp to put on concerts. He gave talks about classical music and conducted a performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "Mikado" as well as a pantomime version of "Cinderella". This helped him to get experience in conducting. He also took part in the drama productions. He studied hard and was given a BA degree from the University of Toronto (1915) and a D Mus from the University of Oxford (1918), although he was locked up in the camp all this time.