Henry Norwest

Henry Norwest MM & Bar (May 1, 1884, in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta - August 18, 1918, at Fouquescourt, Somme, France) was a distinguished Canadian sniper in World War I.

Military career

A former ranch-hand and rodeo performer, he served for a short time with the Royal Northwest Mounted Police until September 1915 when he joined the Canadian army. 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. While Norwest was an outstanding marksman, the thing that set him apart from others was his superb stealth tactics and his expertise in the use of camouflage. As a result of his exceptional abilities his superiors frequently sent him on reconnaissance missions into "No Man's Land" or behind enemy lines.

In 1917, Norwest earned the Military Medal during the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the following year he was awarded the bar to his Military Medal. Only three months before the war ended, Norwest was on a mission to find a German sniper's lair when he was killed by the enemy sniper.

His Ross Rifle is currently on display at The Military Museum in Calgary. The rifle which he carried on August 18 was a replacement which was taken by the German sniper as a trophy.

Personal life

Nicknamed Ducky, Henry Norwest was Métis of Cree/French origins from the Hobbema reserve in Alberta. Married and the father of three children, he is buried in the Warvillers Churchyard Extension Cemetery, Warvillers, Somme, France.

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Source: WikiPedia