Walter Tottingham was born in 1867 in Luton.

His parents Isaac & Caroline were also born in Luton & were working in the straw hat trade as a blocker & a sewer. In 1871 Walter is 5 years old & living with his parents & 8 year old sister Sarah at 36 Spring Place.

In October 1891 Walter married Sarah Ann Day.

In the 1911 census Walter is 47 years old & he & Ann are working as straw hat machinists. They have 5 sons, Frederick is 16 years old & working as a wire shape maker, Rowland 11, Arthur Sidney 10,  & 5 year old Henry are at school & the youngest son Alfred Benjamin is 4. They are living at 55 Duke Street.

According to Walter's WW1 Pension record it states that he had already served 7 years in the 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment from 1883 was 47 years old when he re-enlisted in September 1914 into the 5th (Reserve) Battalion of the Bedfords. He is described as being 5ft 7 1/2 inches tall with a sallow complexion, brown eyes & black hair. He also has a tattoo of an elephant & a coat of arms on his right arm & a coat of arms on his left arm. He is living with his family at 45 Duke Street.

He served at Home for just over a year until he was discharged on 15th October 1915 due to ill health. He had developed a growth on the tongue & cheek on the left side of his face & sadly died 7 months later on 16th May 1916.

He is buried in the cemetery on Crawley Green Road.