Early in his career he took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Hazara Expedition and operations in the Khyber Pass. He went on to command the Bannu column during operations in Waziristan in 1894 and to serve as senior staff officer for the Tochi Expedition in 1897. Egerton took command of the troops in British Somaliland fighting the Somalis under Mohammed Abdullah Hassan in June 1903; he had a significant success at Jidbali in January 1904 killing 1,000 of Hassan's men. His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding Secunderabad District in 1904 before retiring in 1907.