Douglas Cameron left school in 1918 and began his career in the Queen's Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood and was for some time principal cello with the British National Opera Company. He then concentrated his attention on the Kutcher String Quartet, one of the most famous combinations of its kind in the world. His talent received formal recognition in 1934 when he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 31, becoming one of the youngest holders of that distinction.