First World War Centenary. 5: Henry Hicks

    William Henry A. Hicks

The details below are based on a collection of over 400 postcards, which belonged to the Hicks family, and were written, for the most part, during the Imperial Period of Germany.

Henry 'Harry' Hicks was employed as an engineer by the Imperial Continental Gas Association (ICGA), a company established in London in 1824. During the nineteenth century, the ICGA provided the technology and infrastructure that brought gas lighting to many of Europe's leading cities, including Hannover (1825), Berlin (1826), and Vienna (1845).  When Henry moved from England to Germany around 1889, the ICGA was operating the 'englischer Gasanstalt' at Gitschiner Straße, 19-22 (Berlin). 

By June 1891, Henry had met and married Fräulein Hedwig Mathie [1], and the newly-weds were living at Kottbusser Ufer, 62a (now Paul-Linke Ufer), which was a 20 minute walk from the Gitschiner Straße gasworks. They remained there until the autumn of 1900, and then moved to a house on the Ring Chaussee (Ring Straße, 3) in Mariendorf.  Mariendorf was located on the recently completed Teltow Canal, which facilitated the delivery of coal shipments, making it ideal as a site for a new gas facility. It seems reasonable to assume that Henry Hicks was transferred to Mariendorf to work on the construction of the new gasworks, which began in 1900 and was completed the following year. By that time, Henry and his wife had two daughters, Agnes (named after Hedwig's mother) and Edith.  In October of 1908, the Hicks family moved from Ring Straße to nearby Lichterfelderstraße, 32 (now Borstellstraße), but stayed there for only a  year before moving to YorckStraße, 89.  After an equally brief residence, the family settled in Albrechtstraße, 51 in Templehof around September of 1911 and remained there until the end of the First World War.

By 1914, Henry had lived in Germany for nearly 25 years, and had fully assimilated into the life of Germany's capital. He was on good terms with his in-laws, and he, Hedwig and their daughters were fluently bilingual. Their postcards reveal a cozy life, with frequent holidays to the Baltic coast and to Bavaria.  However, the halycon days of Wilhelmine Germany were drawing to a close, and the madness of World War One thrust Henry into the unexpected role of an enemy alien. Once a state of war existed between Britain and Germany, Henry's loyalties must have been disturbingly conflicted.   The exigencies of war forced the seizure of Imperial Continental Gas Association's German assets, which were nationalized by the German government.  Henry was arrested and imprisoned for the duration of the war at Ruhleben Internment Camp. 

The above postcard was sent by Henry to his wife from the internment camp for Christmas 1916. It shows that he was in barracks no. 7. It was published by the Ruhleben Camp Magazine, a publication organized by the detainees. The card was illustrated by Andrew Healy Hislop (1887-1954), a Scottish artist who was on a painting tour of Germany when the war broke out. The upper right corner reads Kriegsgefangenen-sendung (prisoners-of-war post) - Engländerlager Ruhleben (Ruhleben Camp for English [prisoners]).

Postcard showing Henry's title, 'Engineer'

Addressed to Herrn und Frau Hicks at the englische Gasanstalt,
Ring Chaussee, Mariendorf bei Berlin

Addressed to H. Hicks at the Gasmesser Fabrik (gas meter factory)

When the First World War ended, Henry Hicks returned to England with his family.[2] They moved to 1 Queen's Mansions, 33 Anson Street, Tufnell Park, London, and lived there throughout the twenties.  A postcard dated to 1930 shows Henry and his family still living there [3] . After that we lose track of Henry, Hedwig and Edith. Their daughter, Agnes H. Hicks, lived at 29 Gledhow Gardens at least until 1962.

***

The following two postcards are part of the Hicks Collection, and are addressed to Herrn Direktor A. Drory, that is, Arthur Drory, who was head of ICGA's Mariendorf gas meter works.

The Drory family, over several generations, are inextricably linked to the fortunes of the Imperial Continental Gas Association, beginning with Leonard Drory (1800-1886), his brother, George William Drory (1800-1879); James Sophron Emile Drury (1850-1909) and his brother, W.W. Drory; Edward Drory (1844-1904); Henry James Drory (1837-1899), and other members of their family.

Further Interest

German Gas Works During World War I
Gas lighting in Berlin
Description of the Mariendorf Gas Works  ( Part 1) (Part 2)
Visit to the Mariendorf Gas Works (1908)
Mariendorf Gasometer  (Photo) (More Photos)
Gaswerk Berlin-Mariendorf Photos
Ruhleben Camp

Notes

[1] A postcard dated 14 August 1883 shows Hedwig Mathie living at Kottbusser Straße 21. This was the home of her parents. Her father was Walter Scott Mathie, and her mother was Agnes Caroline Henriette Reim. They were married on 18 August 1860.  A number of the postcards are addressed to members of the Reim family.

Addressed to Hedwig's father

[2] Initially the family may have lived briefly at 50 Parkhurst Rd, Holloway, London.
[3] Hedwig Hicks was living at 33 Anson St. in 1931.