Sproule entered the
Straits Settlements civil service as a cadet in November 1895, and shortly after went to
Amoy to study Hokkien. In 1897, he was appointed acting Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court of
Penang and later magistrate. In 1905, he was appointed acting Deputy Public Prosecutor,
Singapore, while in the following year also served as assistant to the Colonial Secretary, and then in the same year as acting Solicitor-General, Penang. In 1909, he served as acting Judicial Commissioner,
Federated Malay States, and from 1911 to 1913 served as Solicitor-General. == Personal life and death ==