Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Chief Stoker R. Quick, Royal Navy, who was severely wounded whilst serving in H.M.S. Warrior at the Battle of Jutland, 31st May 1916, and subsequently died of wounds twelve days later

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp, (R. Quick. Sto, H.M.S. Niobe); Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Persian Gulf 1909-1914 (287343, R. Quick, Sto. P.O., H.M.S. Fox) edge nicks and light contact marks,very fine and better (2) £240-£280

Richard Quick, a fisherman from Mousehole, Cornwall, was born on 29 December 1878. Enlisting in the Royal Navy on 15 February 1898, he saw service during the Boer War in H.M.S. Niobe, and later in the Persian Gulf in H.M.S. Fox, and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 28 February 1913. Appointed Chief Stoker on 10 April 1914, his Great War service was in H.M.S. Warrior in the Mediterranean Fleet, where she participated in the Allied sweep which led to the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser SMS Zenta during the Battle of Antivari in August 1914.

Warrior joined the Grand Fleet in December 1914 and was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Keith Arbuthnot. At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, the 1st Cruiser Squadron was in front of the Grand Fleet, on the right side. At 5:47 p.m., the squadron flagship, H.M.S. Defence, and Warrior spotted the German II Scouting Group and opened fire. Their shells felt short and the two ships turned to port in pursuit, cutting in front of the battlecruiser H.M.S. Lion, which was forced to turn away to avoid a collision. Shortly afterwards they spotted the disabled German light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden and closed to engage. When the two ships reached a range of 5,500 yards from Wiesbaden they were spotted in turn at 6:05 p.m. by the German battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger and four battleships who were less than 8,000 yards away. The fire from the German ships was heavy and Warrior was hit by at least fifteen 28-centimetre (11 in) and six 15-centimetre (5.9 in) shells, but was saved when the German ships switched their fire to the battleship H.M.S. Warspite.

Warrior was heavily damaged by the German shells, which caused large fires and heavy flooding, although the engine room crew, where Quick was serving, and of whom only three survived, kept the engines running for long enough to allow her to withdraw. She was taken in tow by the seaplane tender H.M.S. Engadine who took off her surviving crew of 743. She was abandoned in a rising sea at 8:25 a.m. on 1 June when her upper deck was only 4 feet above the water line and subsequently foundered.

Quick’s service record noted that he was wounded on 31 May 1916. He died of wounds, aged 36, on 11 June , whilst borne on the books of H.M.S. Vivid. He is buried in Penzance (St. Paul’s) Cemetery, Cornwall.