He soon earned the respect of his men, most of whom were much older than he. Potts was posted as a reinforcement to 16th Battalion at Gallipoli in July, just in time to participate in the bloody battles of 7 and 8 August. He stayed with the battalion after it was evacuated from the peninsula in December 1915. In January 1916, Potts was commissioned second lieutenant. In July 1916, following a period of re-organisation in Egypt, the infantry units of the AIF were transferred to the Western Front in France and Belgium. In August, Potts, who by this time had been promoted to lieutenant and given command of the 4th Light Trench Mortar Battery, was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry during the Battle of Mouquet Farm. He had led his battery in unstinting support of the rest of the battalion during its advance, even though the battery itself had been almost continually under attack in the most horrendous of conditions. Later in the war, having been promoted to captain, Potts was able to transfer back to the 16th Battalion and on 6 July 1918, near Hamel, he received a serious gunshot wound in the chest, which he barely survived. Inter war years As a result of his wounds, Potts was classified as 20 per cent disabled, and after repatriation in early 1919 he returned to Western Australia where he worked as a jackaroo until he purchased his own farm in Kojonup, Western Australia in 1920. He continued to serve part-time in the Militia, however, in 1922 he was placed on the Reserve of Officers list and effectively retired due to defence cutbacks at the time. In 1926 he married Doreen (Dawn) Wigglesworth. They had three children; David (1928), Judith (1932) and Nancy (1938). His letters to his wife throughout his military career provide an insight into his opinions and feelings on events. In 1938, as tensions in Europe grew, Potts became involved with the Militia again and was instrumental in the re-formation of the 25th Light Horse Regiment. Second World War Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Potts was placed in command of the regiment's 'B' Squadron and he set to work training the young national servicemen that were assigned to the unit following the resumption of the compulsory training scheme. As the provisions of the Defence Act (1903) still precluded the Militia from being sent outside