Henry Quicke – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force

Lieutenant Henry Quicke – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force

Birth and Family Background

Henry Quicke

Henry Quicke was born in 1897 in Swansea, the son of William Henry Quicke and Henrietta Ellen Cross, who were married in 1885 at West Derby, Lancashire.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Quicke family were residing at 22 Wassail Street, Swansea. William Quicke (44) was employed as a saddler, and his wife Henrietta (36) managed the household. Their children were Alfred (15), a clerk in a flour mill; Emily (12); William (9); Albert (7); and Henry (4).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 16 Wassail Square, Swansea. William Henry Quicke (51) continued his trade as a saddler, and Henrietta Ellen (46) remained at home. Their children were Emily Rosa (22); William Gilbert (19), a warehouseman; Albert James (16), a clerk; and Henry (14), still attending school.

Military Service

Henry served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, joining the 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant, a rank that placed him in a leadership role during front-line service.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4^th Battalion — 23^rd March 1918

On 23^rd March 1918, the 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was heavily engaged during the opening days of the German Spring Offensive. Following the massive German assault launched on 21^st March, British forces in the Arras sector were under extreme pressure as enemy troops attempted to break through Allied lines and force a decisive victory.

The battalion was involved in defensive fighting and fighting withdrawals, often ordered to occupy hastily prepared positions to delay the German advance. Conditions were chaotic: communications were frequently disrupted, trench systems were incomplete or damaged, and units were exposed to intense artillery fire, gas shelling, and fast-moving German stormtrooper attacks.

Territorial battalions such as the 1/4^th Royal Welsh Fusiliers were required to show exceptional resilience. Junior officers, including Lieutenant Quicke, were tasked with organising rearguard actions, maintaining unit cohesion, and holding positions under fire until ordered to withdraw. Casualties during this phase were severe, particularly among officers, whose leadership required them to remain visible and exposed.

It was during this critical and dangerous period of the Spring Offensive, on 23^rd March 1918, that Lieutenant Henry Quicke was killed in action, reflecting the heavy toll exacted on British Territorial units during one of the war’s most perilous moments.

Death and Commemoration

Henry Quicke has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, which records the names of officers and men who fell in the Arras sector and whose burial places are unknown.

Western Mail

Henry’s death was reported in the Western Mail, marking the loss of a young Swansea officer during the desperate fighting of March 1918.

His service and sacrifice exemplify the contribution of Territorial Force officers, drawn from civilian trades and professions, who were called upon to lead their men under the most extreme conditions of the First World War