Background
Howard was born on July 7, 1888, in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
Howard was born on July 7, 1888, in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
He studied at Dean Close School in Cheltenham. Then he finished engineering courses at City and Guilds Central Technical College.
He arrived in China in 1913, where he started working at a Fire Brigade "Deluge" Co. till 1916, when he was disbanded. Then he worked at Engineers Corporation till 1919. In 1921 he became an armored car driver. After several years of work, he went to Asiatic Petroleum Co.