Edmond Totten was the youngest son of Thomas and Eleanor Jane Totten. He was born in 1898 in Ardboe. He was one of seven children. The family lived in the Kingsmills area, near Coagh. His father was a farm labourer. Edmund Totten enlisted in Cookstown on 7th September 1914. Private Totten was initially with the Royal Army Service Corps and later transferred to the Army Cyclist Corp. He was with the British Expeditionary Force in France from January 1916 to August 1916 when he was shot in the hip. Private Totten was discharged from duty, being no longer physically fit for service.