At Lievin Communal Cemetery Extension, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 472572 Private Edwin Matthews Pettler, serving with the 46th Battalion Canadian Infantry who died 12/04/1917.

Killed in action
and buried at the time
in King’s Cross Cemetery
Souchez
Whose grave was destroyed
in later battles

Their glory shall not be blotted out

Jean Longstaff has submitted:-

Edwin Matthews Pettler, born on 7th January 1892 in Belsay, Northumberland was the son of Yorkshire born Primitive Methodist Minister Charles Pettler and his first wife Elizabeth Ann Matthews, who died in Belsay the following year.

In 1894 whilst working in Norfolk Charles married Sarah Ann Priestley from St. Helen Auckland, the daughter of another Minister.  The family moved around the country with daughter Lilly born in Allendale in 1896, Annie in Barrow, Cumberland the following year and Gertrude in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire in 1901 before they moved to the Manse in Kendal, Westmorland.  The 1911 census shows them living in Eston and Edwin was studying to become a minister like his father.

On 14th March 1914 Edwin left England for Canada on the SS Alsatian and after arriving in Halifax headed west and settled in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he found work as a teamster.  November 1915 saw him enlisting with the Canadian Expeditionary Force as Private 472572 of the 65th Battalion, giving his father then living at the Manse, Middleton in Teesdale as his next of kin. After basic training he embarked with the unit on 18th June 1916, arriving in England ten days later to be transferred to the 46th Battalion based at Bramshott, Hampshire.

On 11 August 1916 the 46th Battalion arrived in Havre and travelled to billets at Reinghelst, Belgium where they underwent trench warfare training, then Private Pettler was attached to no.4 Sanitary Section, Canadian Army Medical Corps until early October.

Returning to the 46th Battalion, in April they were in reserve behind the lines at Vimy Ridge bases at Coupigny Huts, moving forward to the Zouave Valley on 8th April. During an attack south of Givency on 12th April 1917 Private Pettler was detailed to guard a strong point where it was believed the enemy were located, and it was here that he was shot in the head by a rifle bullet.  He was treated in a nearby dugout but died from his wounds shortly after.

Edwin Matthews Pettler is remembered at Middleton in Teesdale on M39.01 and M39.02.

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and on the Saskatchewan War Memorial.