From a Victorian childhood, through the early part of World War One with a cycling regiment in Devon, to subsequent adventures in India and Mesopotamia, a young soldier's progress through life is recalled by family memories, diaries and letters. The skills he acquires enable him to make his way in the world. However this is a true story, so there is poignancy and disappointment as well as love and happiness. About the Author With her imagination fed by Walter's bedtime stories, Helen became an advertising copywriter in London before Tom, a wild Irishman, whisked her off to Spain where they played bad golf and enjoyed life. Writing and NADFAS (The Arts Society) became a lifeline when Tom died. She now shares her life with a local cat who is no good at fostering her ambition to understand the language well enough to get to the end of all the books she'd love to read in the original Spanish.