Captain Percy J. Belcher

Percy James Belcher was born into a prominent Edmonton family and was the son of a famous colonel. By the time of the First World War, Belcher was a Captain in the militia in Edmonton and a banker by trade. He gained a commission in the 49th Battalion (E.R.) in 1915 and was wounded by a sniper during the battalion's first trench rotation in Flanders. Returning to Canada, he would rejoin the Canadian Expeditionary Force and command a company of the 138th (Edmonton) Battalion overseas. After returning to England, Belcher voluntarily reverted his rank to Lieutenant to rejoin the 49th Battalion (E.R.) in France. He would be killed leading "D" Company during the attack at Passchendaele in October 1917.