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The Métis in Western Canada: O-Tee-Paym-Soo-Wuk

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Sharpshooter: Henry Norwest

One of the most famous Canadian snipers in the First World War was a Métis marksman who went by the name of Henry Louis Norwest. Norwest was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, of French-Cree ancestry. In his nearly three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, the lance-corporal achieved a sniping record of 115 fatal shots. The former ranch-hand and rodeo performer also merited the Military Medal and bar, making him one of roughly 830 members of the CEF to be awarded this double honour.

He received the Military Medal for his actions during the battle of Vimy Ridge, and the attached Bar during the Battle of Amiens, where Norwest destroyed several enemy machine-gun posts and achieved a sniping record that was a battalion high. He was killed by an enemy sniper three months before the end of the war.

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