Henry Louis Norwest (sometimes spelled Northwest) MM & Bar (c. 188118 August 1918) was a distinguished Canadian

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Early life

Norwest was born in

Fort Saskatchewan Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmo ...

, Alberta District, North-West Territories, sometime in the early 1880s, the son of

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United State ...

parents Louis Northwest or Watson and Geneviève Boucher. Norwest worked as a ranch hand and

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

performer, then for a short time he served with the Royal North-West Mounted Police. In January 1915 he joined the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry divisi ...

(CEF).

Military career

Henry Louis Norwest initially enlisted in

Wetaskiwin Wetaskiwin ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word ''wītaskiwinihk'', meaning "the hills where peace was made". Wetaskiwin is ...

as Henry Louie, listing his trade as "Cow Puncher". However, he was discharged just three months later for "drunkenness", according to official records. He then re-enlisted in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

, under the name of Henry Norwest. In his nearly three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, the lance corporal achieved a documented sniping record of 115 fatal shots. His true number of kills could be higher, because the military only recorded hits which had been witnessed by someone else. Norwest drew greatly upon his upbringing and experience as a hunter moving with stealth, and making use of

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

and the natural foliage around him to hide. As a result of his exceptional abilities his superiors frequently sent him on

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

missions into

no man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

or behind enemy lines. In 1917, Norwest earned the Military Medal during the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions ...

, in recognition of his contribution to the conquering of a significant point along the ridge. In the three months preceding the battle, Norwest killed 59 enemy soldiers. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the bar to his Military Medal. He was one of only 90 men in the CEF to earn the Military Medal with Bar. Only three months before the war ended, Norwest was on a mission to find a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

sniper's lair when he was killed by the enemy sniper. His Ross rifle is on display at The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) Museum, part of

The Military Museums The Military Museums is a reorganization of the former Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, Alberta, announced by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, on June 3, 2006. The new museum comprises the former Museum of the Regiments as well as the relocated Nav ...

in Calgary. It is the second of three rifles that he used and was brought back to Canada by his spotter. The last rifle that Norwest carried was rumoured to have been taken by the German sniper who killed him on 18 August 1918 near Fouquescourt,

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

, France.

Personal life

Nicknamed ''Ducky'', Henry Norwest was Métis of

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...

/French origins from the Hobbema reserve in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

. Henry reportedly earned his nickname during the war because he was very popular with women at dance halls, and would dance for hours before "ducking" out on the women at the end of the night. Henry was married with three children, who were all sent to a residential school in

Ermineskin Ermineskin Cree Nation also known as the Ermineskin Tribe ( cr, ᓀᔮᐢᑵᔮᕽ, ), is a Cree First Nations band government in Alberta, Canada. A signatory to Treaty 6, Ermineskin is one of the Four Nations of Maskwacis, Alberta's largest ...

, Alberta, prior to his enlistment. His wife died in Alberta sometime before he was killed in action. His three daughters became orphans upon his death, and spent most of their childhoods in a residential school. Henry is buried in the Warvillers Churchyard Extension Cemetery,

Warvillers Warvillers is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Warvillers is situated 21 miles(33 km) southeast of Amiens, on the D329 road Population See also *Communes of the Somme department The f ...

, France.

Legacy

Fort Saskatchewan's cemetery features two large stones that each bear a plaque detailing his accomplishments during the war. His name was added to the community's cenotaph in 2008. The local branch of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

hung his portrait in their canteen, named it in his honour, and placed an eagle feather, a sacred symbol in Cree culture, in glass beside his picture. It is estimated that Norwest has hundreds of descendants, mostly concentrated around Samson Cree First Nation in central Alberta.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwest, Henry 1880s births 1918 deaths People from Fort Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Métis people Canadian recipients of the Military Medal Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Deaths by firearm in France Canadian military personnel from Alberta