His first task was, in reversal of the plot of "The Riddle of the Sands", to draw up a plan for the invasion of Germany by way of the Frisian Islands. He was allocated to , a seaplane tender of the Harwich Force, as an instructor in coastal navigation to newly trained pilots. His duties included flying as a navigator and observer, including a sortie navigating over a familiar coastline in the Cuxhaven Raid, an inconclusive bombing attack on the Cuxhaven airship base on Christmas Day 1914, for which he was mentioned in despatches. In 1915, he was transferred in a similar role to , in which he served in the Gallipoli Campaign and the eastern Mediterranean, earning himself a Distinguished Service Cross.