North-West Resistance Collection
Private Lewis Lans Brophy was born in (or around) 1863 in Québec City, Québec, to parents John P. and Mary Anne Brophy. The family later moved to Ottawa, Ontario.

Brophy was serving as a member of Ottawa’s 1st Battalion Governor General’s Foot Guards when the North-West Resistance broke out in 1885. He volunteered in late March to join the newly organized Ottawa Sharpshooters, which soon set out for Battleford (in present day Saskatchewan) where Brophy participated in the Battle of Cut Knife. Brophy returned with his unit to Ottawa in July of 1885.

Content notes:
The collection’s correspondence, written by Brophy between March 31 and June 19 of 1885, chronicles his time with the Ottawa Sharpshooters including the often arduous journey west by rail and on foot, and the Battle of Cut Knife.
Regarding biographical details, Brophy’s exact date of birth is uncertain. The 1871 census lists him as eight years old, which is corroborated by the collection’s obituary clipping of 1918 which references his birth as “about 55 years ago.”
Collection content is posted without editing, as originally created; visitors are strongly encouraged to review and be mindful of the project’s Historical Language Advisory.

External links:
No service record information is accessible online for Pte. Lewis Lans Brophy through Library and Archives Canada at this time, except for the record of his North West Canada Medal, which was issued to most participating military personnel.