[Walter Elliott worked as an assistant mechanic in a bicycle shop 1905 – 1914. The second half of his memoir recounts his experiences as a Sapper in World War I, performing a variety of engineering roles, 1915 - 1918]

When war was declared [4 August 1914] the local Royal Engineers Coy. [company] Territorials were at their annual summer camp somewhere on the East Coast, they were probably not at full strength so their Commanding Officer, Major Ticehurst—later Lt. Col—returned to Bexhill and started forming a reserve unit. Several chaps that I knew in Bexhill and Little Common joined up and as I was a bit ‘fed up’ with cleaning bikes and pushing prams around I too joined up in October […] For a week or two we went by train to St Leonards Drill Hall nearly every evening, had a little drill, listened to talks then a Fife and drum band was formed, I had a fife. After a few band practices we were soon out on the streets making a show, but none of us had any uniform, well only the Sergeant.