At the beginning of the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was given the rank of pilot officer, and by the time his service came to an end in 1944 he had been promoted to squadron leader. He also continued to act during the war, and performed small roles in the well-known films "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943) and "The Way Ahead" (1944). He also had a top supporting role as the intelligence officer, Major Richards, in another classic British war movie, "The Next of Kin" (1942).