| Activity | 1900 commissioned to Middlesex Regiment in India. Interested in Butterflies, Birds and Plants and sent many specimens to museums in India and Britain. 1903 - 1904 part of the mission to Lhasa, Tibet. 1905 transferred to the political department and went to Gyantse, Tibet as a trade agent. 1911 he attempted to discover the source of the Tsangpo River in Tibet but was unable to complete the expedition. 1913 he set out again and his trek has been described by some as one of the most remarkable journeys of exploration completed on foot in the 20th century. He returned to his military service in 1915 but was wounded in Gallopoli, Italy and deemed unfit for military service. He returned to India in 1916 and worked as political officer in Kohat (Pakistan) and Charsada (Pakistan). In 1917 he was sent to Shustar, Persia (Iran) and in 1918 he was sent to Kashgar, Chinese Turkestan and then to Tashkent, Russia (Uzbekistan) to report on conditions in the region following the 1917 revolution. 1921 he was appointed political officer in Sikkim, India where he stayed until 1928. He then moved to Srinagar, Kashmir and eventually moved to Nepal where he served as British Minister. He retired in 1938.
1912 he was granted the Gill Memorial Award from the Royal Geographical Society and in 1916 he was awarded their Gold Medal. 1920 he received the premier award of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the Livingstone Medal. His collection of butterflies and birds was given to the BM(NH) and the duplicates went to the Metropolitan Museum, New York. |