A104737 Rifleman James Harold Steffler was born in Cargill, Ontario, on 11 September 1917. The son of Leo Alexander Steffler and Johanna Catherine Massel, he had three brothers and four sisters and left school at 13 having completed Grade 7. He was a Roman Catholic.

Steffler worked as a farm hand for Mr. Harold Young when he enlisted on 5 October 1942 in London, Ontario, with the active service army. He trained in Listowel and Camp Borden before arriving in the United Kingdom on 28 March 1943 and posted to the 21st Armoured Regiment.

Seven months later he was in an infantry reinforcement unit and after arriving in France on 3 July 1944 was posted to the North Shore – New Brunswick Regiment. On 17 July, Steffler transferred to The Queen’s Own Rifles, the next day was wounded, and by the end of the month was back with the QOR. He returned to the UK on 13 September (perhaps wounded again) but returned to France on 8 October and returned to the QOR on 25 October.  He continued to fight through North West Europe with them.

Rifleman Steffler was killed in the early hours of 26 February 1945 in Mooshof, Germany, aged 27. He is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetary, Netherlands, grave reference VIII. H. 13.

His epitaph reads:

WE HAVE LOVED HIM IN LIFE
LET US NOT FORGET HIM
IN DEATH