North West Canada Medal

 

Canadian North-West Rebellion 1885.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Northwest Canada Medal was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. The medal was instituted in February 1885 and was awarded to the soldiers, volunteers and North-West Mounted Police personnel who participated in operations west of Port Arthur, Ontario to suppress a rebellion by the Métis people under Louis Riel against the government of Canada.

 

The medal was also awarded to some volunteers, including the crew of the steamer 'Northcote' for service at the Battle of Batoche, and members of the Prince Albert Volunteers force for service at Duck Lake.

 

Some 1,760 of these medals were issued with only sixteen to British troops the rest being issued to members of the local forces.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears the diademed head of Queen Victoria and the inscription; ‘VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX’.

 

The reverse has the inscription; ‘NORTH WEST CANADA’ and the date; ‘1885’ within a wreath of maple leaves. 

 

The ribbon suspender is of the plain, straight and swivelling style, attached to the medal by a claw mount.

 

The medal was issued unnamed, however many were named locally in various styles.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 33mm wide and blue-grey in colour with a narrow crimson stripe toward each edge.

 

 

This medal was issued with the following clasps:-

 

 

NB: Two un-official clasps of ‘FISH CREEK’ and ‘BATOCHE’ also exist.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The North-West Rebellion.

- The Battle Of Fish Creek.

- The Battle Of Batoche.

- The Métis People.

- The North-West Mounted Police.

- The Prince Albert Volunteers.

 

The North-West Rebellion - The North-West Rebellion (or the North-West Resistance, Saskatchewan Rebellion, Northwest Uprising, or Second Riel Rebellion) of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the government of Canada.

 

During a time of great social change in Western Canada, the Métis believed that the Canadians had failed to address the protection of their rights, their land, and their survival as a distinct people. Despite some notable early victories at Duck Lake, Fish Creek, and Cut Knife, the rebellion effectively ended for the Métis with their defeat at the siege of Batoche, Saskatchewan, the eventual scattering of their allied Aboriginal forces elsewhere, and the trial and hanging of Louis Riel.

 

Tensions between French Canada and English Canada increased for some time. Due to the role that the Canadian Pacific Railway played in transporting troops, political support increased and Parliament authorized funds to complete the country's first transcontinental railway.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Fish Creek - The Battle of Fish Creek (also known as the Battle of Tourond's Coulée) was fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, and was a major Métis victory over the Canadian forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion.

 

Although the reversal was not decisive enough to alter the ultimate outcome of the conflict, it was convincing enough to persuade Major General Frederick Middleton to temporarily halt his advance on Batoche, where the Métis would later make their final stand.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Batoche - The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion. Fought from May 9 to May 12 1885 at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatchewan capital of Batoche, the greater numbers and superior firepower of Middleton's force could not be successfully countered by the Métis (as had happened at Fish Creek), and the town was eventually captured.

 

The defeat of the Métis led to the surrender of Louis Riel on May 15 and the collapse of the Provisional Government. In the weeks that followed, Poundmaker would surrender and only the Cree under Big Bear would continue to engage Canadian authorities.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Métis People - The Métis are one of the recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

 

They trace their descent to mixed First Nations and European heritage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with formal recognition equal to that of the Inuit and First Nations. Mothers were often Cree, Ojibwe, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Menominee, Mi'kmaq or Maliseet.

 

At one time there was an important distinction between French Métis born of francophone voyageur fathers, and the Anglo-Métis or Countryborn descended from English or Scottish fathers. Today these two cultures have essentially coalesced into one Métis tradition.

 

The Métis homeland includes regions scattered across Canada, as well as parts of the northern United States (specifically Montana, North Dakota, and northwest Minnesota).

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The North-West Mounted Police - The North-West Mounted Police was a Canadian police force. It was established in 1873, and in 1904 the name was changed to Royal Northwest Mounted Police.

 

In 1920, it merged with the Dominion Police to become the current Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Prince Albert Volunteers - The Prince Albert Volunteers or Prince Albert Rifles were a historical body of militia organized in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, which served as Canadian government militia during the North-West Rebellion.

 

‘Gentleman Joe McKay, an Anglo-Metis scout of the North-West Mounted Police was sent to Prince Albert from Fort Carlton to enlist about 20 men as volunteers on 20 March 1885.

 

On the 21 March, 22 men were sworn in before Lieutenant Colonel Sproat. The volunteers were commanded by Captain Moore, who had retired from the Canadian militia. On the 23rd they arrived at Fort Carlton and were armed with Snider-Enfield rifles.

 

They saw their only action fighting alongside the police against Gabriel Dumont's Metis forces at the Battle of Duck Lake on March 26, 1885, where they suffered the heaviest casualties of combatants involved: of the forty-one Volunteers sent, nine were killed.

 

Most of those who died are buried at St. Mary's Anglican Church cemetery just west of Prince Albert. Nine of them were killed at Duck Lake, their bodies left on the field until emissaries from Louis Riel arranged for their safe retrieval by citizens of Prince Albert.

 

For the remainder of the rebellion the volunteers stayed penned up in the stockade at Prince Albert, safeguarding the community until relieved by General Frederick Middleton and his Northwest Field Force after the Battle of Batoche.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.