Sclater-Booth was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st Dragoons on 2 August 1892. He was promoted to captain on 1 October 1897, and major on 2 February 1898. After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, the 1st Dragoons was sent to South Africa where it arrived at Durban in November. Under the command of Lord Basing, the regiment formed part of the force sent to relieve Ladysmith, taking part in the battles of Colenso, Spion Kop, and the Tugela Heights. From June 1900 to April 1901 the regiment was employed guarding the Buffalo River and the Transvaal approaches to the Drakensberg. Lord Basing received the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel on 29 November 1900, and in late Spring 1901 he was given an independent command, composed of his own regiment and the necessary complement of artillery. Lord Basing's column was the only purely regimental column formed during the war. In July and August 1901 the column operated in the country of the Magaliesberg and Western Transvaal. During the rest of the war they were employed in the Orange River Colony. On 2 February 1902 Lord Basing was promoted to the full rank of lieutenant-colonel and appointed formally in command of the regiment. For his service in the war, he was mentioned in despatches twice and earned the Queen's South Africa Medal with six clasps: Transvaal, Orange Free State, Cape Colony, Relief of Ladysmith, Tugela Heights, Laing's Nek, and the King's South Africa Medal with both clasps. He was also appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1902. He spent some time in India in an official capacity, with a small account of his daily life and dealings there being contained within chapter three of the book My Mother Told Me by Charles Chenevix Trench, recounted to the author by May Hargreaves. He was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle., with a letter from Buckingham Palace dated November 1911 reading "I have the honour to inform you that The King has been graciously pleased to give you Private Permission to wear the insignia of the Order of the Red Eagle, which was conferred upon you by the German Emperor and King of Prussia.” being known to exist. Lord Basing died aged 59 at Hoddington House, Hampshire, England, and was buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, Upton Grey, Basingstoke and Dean Borough, Hampshire.
Family
Lord Basing married Mary Hargreaves on 12 December 1889 at Maiden Early, Berkshire. His wife died in India on 1 June 1904, with the book Records of the Family of Sclater stating that George became disinterested with life thereafter.
