Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - A ranar 29 ga Satumba, 1938, an sake kiran Thomas zuwa aiki, kuma ya shiga cikin ma'aikatan jirgin ruwan. A ranar 13 ga Agusta 1939, ya shiga cikin jirgin ruwa, inda yake aiki lokacin da Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu ya ɓarke. An daukaka shi zuwa kwamandan a ranar 27 ga Yuni, 1940. Bayan da 'yan Italiya suka nutsar da shi a cikin Raid a Souda Bay
, an sanya shi zuwa HMS "Nile", Gidan Jirgin Ruwa na Royal Navy a Masar, kuma ya yi aiki a kan ma'aikatan Kwamandan Kwamandan, Jirgin Ruwa na Bahar Rum. Ya sake yin aure a karo na biyu a ranar 10 ga Satumba, 1941, zuwa Mary Fedora Douglas-Watson, mai wasan piano da mawaƙa. Ita ce gwauruwa ta wani jami'in sojan ruwa, Kwamandan Francis Douglas-Watson, kuma 'yar tsohon sanatan Ostiraliya Anthony St Ledger.