Herbert was a
British Army officer. In 1870 he
purchased a commission as ensign in the
Grenadier Guards, with the rank of lieutenant in the Army, and in 1874 he was promoted to lieutenant, ranking as a captain. In February 1882 he was seconded for service on the staff, serving as
brigade-major of the
Home District until August that year, when he was appointed brigade-major of the 1st Brigade in the 1st Division of the Expeditionary Force sent to Egypt. For his service in the
1882 Egyptian Campaign he was mentioned in despatches by
Sir Garnet Wolseley, was awarded the fourth class of the
Order of the Medjidie by
the Khedive of Egypt, and received the
brevet rank of major. He then again served as brigade-major of the Home District from November 1882 to 1883. In 1883 Herbert was promoted to captain in the Grenadier Guards, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Army. He was again seconded to serve as
military attaché at St Petersburg in 1886, was granted the brevet rank of colonel in 1889 and promoted to major in the Grenadier Guards in 1890. Later in 1890 he was granted the local rank of major-general while commanding the
Canadian Militia, serving until 1895. In 1897 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Grenadier Guards, and commanded the Colonial Contingent during the
1897 Diamond Jubilee celebrations. His regimental service ended when he went on half-pay in 1898. He was promoted to substantive colonel and was assistant adjutant-general on the Home District staff from 1898 until he went to South Africa in 1899, serving in the
Second Boer War as assistant adjutant-general in the South African Field Force with responsibility for foreign representatives in the country. In 1901 he vacated his staff appointment and was placed on half-pay, and he retired from the Army in 1908. In 1909 he was appointed honorary colonel of the 3rd Battalion,
Monmouthshire Regiment, and in 1912 he was granted the honorary rank of major-general. ==Political career==