 Kunyange zvazvo akanga ava namakore anenge 40 pakatanga Hondo Yenyika I, Lee akanyoresa mu4th Battalion yeBlack Watch, iyo yaiva battalion yenharaunda yeDundee, muna 1914 uye pakupedzisira akakwira kuva Sergeant. Iye navamwe vatori venhau vasere veDundee vakabatana neboka racho vakapiwa zita rokuti Vanyori-Varwi. Kunyoresa kwaLee kwakanga kuri pasinei nezera rake, zvinetso zvehutano aive achitambura neasthma uye chokwadi chekuti vazhinji vehama dzake mubato revashandi muDundee vairamba zvakasimba hondo. Caroline Brown, Matthew Jarron naKenneth Baxter, vakacherechedza kuti zvinobvira kuti Lee akafuridzirwa nenyaya yokuti sekuru vake vakanga varwa paWaterlooLee akanyora nhetembo pamusoro peizvi muna 1915, kana kuti akatorwa nemafungu okuda nyika ayo akapararira muDundee panguva iyi. Zvisinei, sezvavanocherekedza, pasinei zvapo nezvikonzero zvake, hazvibviri kuti akaziva kuti kubatanidzwa kwake muHondo kwaizova chinhu chinokosha chebasa rake rokunyora. 