 He later survived a serious bout with typhoid that left him in a weakened state; after he recovered, he spent two years as a school teacher in the village of Lowbridge, P.E.I.He resigned from this position in the spring of 1914, with the intention of pursuing a bachelor's degree at Redmond College in Kingsport, Nova Scotia.When war was declared in August, 1914, Walter's older brother Jem immediately volunteered to become a member of the Canadian army.