Career
Spinks was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 17 March 1900. He was promoted to lieutenant on 3 April 1901, and in March 1902 was seconded for service under the Colonial Office, where he was attached to the Northern Nigeria Regiment. He took part in operations in the Kano-Sokoto Campaign in 1903 and operations against the Okpotos in Bassa Province in 1904.
After taking part in World War I, he became the last Sirdar of Egypt serving from 1924 to 1937.