Acting Lieutenant Colonel Legard was the first Commanding Officer of No.4 Commando on its formation in June 1940. He remained as such until replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Lister MC during the re-organisation into 3 Special Service Bn. towards the end of the year.  He returned to the 5th Royal Inniskillings, retiring from service on 19 May 1949 and was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

An accomplished sportsman he competed for Great Britain in the Modern Pentathlon  during the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics.  In the 1936 Winter Olympic Games he competed in the men's individual Nordic Combined event. Post war he competed in the demonstration winter pentathlon competition of the 1948 games.  The following year he competed in the first ever Badminton Three Day horse trial.