Buuxi weedha soo socota: Waxaa wax ka bartay dugsiga St Peter's School, York, Eton College iyo Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Malcolm waxaa loo magacaabay Argyll iyo Sutherland Highlanders isagoo ah taliye labaad Febraayo 20, 1889. Waxaa loo dalacsiiyay taliye 23kii Agoosto 1893. Sannadkii 1896 wuxuu la safray Kabtan Montagu Sinclair Wellby oo ka soo gudbay Tibet iyo waqooyiga Shiinaha. Wuxuu la soo shaqeeyey guutada 2aad ee Sir William Lockhart ee Tochi Field Force ee Waqooyiga Galbeed ee Hindiya sanadkii 1897. Kadib markii uu Uganda joogay, halkaas oo uu howlgalo ka fuliyay dalka Shuli, waxaa loo magacaabay Saaxiibka Abaalmarinta Adeegga (DSO) waxaana loo dalacsiiyay kabtan 21kii Diseembar 1898. Wuxuu ka qayb qaatay dagaalkii labaad ee Boer ee Koonfur Afrika laga bilaabo dabayaaqadii 1899, wuxuuna ka qeyb qaatay dagaalkii Boer.
Dagaalkii Paardeberg bishii Febraayo 1900, halkaas oo uu si xun ugu dhaawacmay rasaas uu ka helay bowdadiisa.