Kammala jumla mai zuwa: An ba Richards mukamin Laftanar a Hampshire Regiment a ranar 8 ga Disamba, 1886, kuma ya yi aiki tare da Bataliya ta 1 a cikin Burmese Expedition 1887-89, inda aka ji masa rauni kaɗan. An daukaka shi zuwa kyaftin a ranar 14 ga Yuli 1893, kuma daga baya aka tura shi zuwa Bataliya ta 2, wanda ya yi aiki tare da shi a Yaƙin Boer na Biyu daga 1900 zuwa 1902. Bayan ya isa Afirka ta Kudu a farkon 1900, ya shiga cikin yaƙe-yaƙe na
Paardeberg (Fabrairu 1900), Poplar Grove (7 Maris 1900), Karee, Brandfort da de Vet da Zand Rivers; da kuma mamayar manyan biranen Boer Bloemfontein (Maris 1900) da Pretoria (Yuni 1900). Ya kasance Kwamandan Gunduma a Hoopstad daga Yuni 1900 zuwa Afrilu 1901, an ambaci shi a cikin sakonni kuma ya sami lambar yabo ta Sarauniya ta Afirka ta Kudu (tare da ƙuƙwalwa uku). Bayan ƙarshen tashin hankali a farkon Yuni 1902, ya bar Cape Town a cikin jirgin "SS Orotava", kuma ya isa Southampton a wata mai zuwa. Daga Nuwamba 1902 ya kasance mataimakin na 5th (Isle of Wight Princess Beatrice's) Battalion na Volunteer na Hampshire Regiment.