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Alice was born in Kerse, Scotland on 12 April 1871. She emigrated to Australia with her parents in the late 1870s, living in the New England area of New South Wales.
On the 29th March, 1889, Alice married a miner, Edward Alcock, in her home at Red Range, just east of Glen Innes. He worked at the nearby Kingsgate mine and she was living at home with her parents at Red Range. Presumably her father, Thomas, worked there, too. "The consent of Thomas McMillan, the Father of the Bride, was given to this marriage". She was 17. In 1890 she had a daughter, Martha Agnes.
In the late 19th century the Kingsgate Mines commenced working in the Red Range area with over 60 separate workings scattered over a fairly small area. The mines were originally worked for bismuth (used in cosmetics and medicines) and around the turn of the 20th century they became Australia’s principal source of molybdenum (used in armour plating and steels).
Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette, Thursday 20 March 1902
The Kingsgate Mine, Glen Innes, New South Wales.
Not long after their marriage, they moved 100kms or so south to Hillgrove (a gold mine) where another four children were born: Edward 1891; Alice 1892; Helen (or Ellen) 1895; and Norman 1897.
By 1899, at the peak of the depression and drought, and a year after Western Australia became the premier gold producer, the family followed the gold rush to the eastern goldfields of Western Australia, where Nathaniel was born in Southern Cross.
By 1902 the family was living at Cue, working at the Day Dawn gold mine. Conditions were very harsh in those early years of the rush - their son, Edward died of typhoid on the 18 March, 1902, and was buried at the Cue and Day Dawn Cemetery. (Strangely, his death certificate states that he lived in NSW for 7 years and Victoria for 4 years. But this doesn't conform with his brother Nathaniel's birth in Southern Cross in 1899. I suspect that the registrar has absent-mindedly entered the wrong state!)
Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette, Thursday 20 March 1902
Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette, 20 March 1902
Day Dawn, 1899.
The health and safety of miners had become an issue in the goldfields. In 1904 the Western Australian parliamentary commission investigated the problem of dust and miners' health:
The West Australian
Monday 22 August 1904
VENTILATION AND SANITATION OF MINES.
THE COMMISSION'S VISIT TO THE EASTERN FIELDS. The Royal Commission on the Ventila tion and Sanitation of Mines returned to Perth on Saturday morning after in specting the surlace and underground workings of the mines at Soulthern Cross and in and around Coolgardie. It was intended to make an examination of the mines at Southern Cross at a later period, but in order to avoid the races at Coolgardio it was decided to inspect Southern Cross first, and arrive at Cool gardie after the racing carnival was concluded.
The Commission arrived at Coolgardie on Thursday, 11th inst. Fraser's gold mine and Fraser's South Extended underground workings were examined at Southern Cross, as well as the Hope's Hill mine and the Green mount mines. The following witnesses were sworn and examined at the Court house, Southern Cross: George Hogg, manager, Fraser's mine; William Scrymgeour, chemist in charge of the cyanide plant, Fraser's mine William Brown, miner, and president of the local branch of the Workers' Association; Al fred Anstey, Ernest Slee, Frederick Reeves, and Edward Alcock, miners; Alexander Fairfull, underground manager, Fraser's mine; Archibald T. Wilson manager, Hope's Hill mine; and T. H. Harris, mining engineer, Fraser's South Extended mine.
The most successful mine on the Yilgarn goldfield was Fraser's Mine at a site selected by Hugh Fraser. (Despite the wealth of the mine, which has grown to a large open-cut enterprise in modern times, Fraser had no money when he died. It was only through a 20 pound donation made by the mayor that he avoided being buried in a pauper's grave). Dust was a critical problem with many young miners dying before their time. (Alice's younger brother, Archibald, would be a victim a few years later). Blasting and drilling filled the tunnels with a fine dust which slowly affected the lungs of many men. Young men died after a short illness, usually diagnosed as pheumonia. It wasn't until the 1920s that the health of miners rapidly improved because of improvements in mining techniques and ventilation.
The Fishers and Alcocks with Agnes McMillan (left?) in the WA goldfields. Seems to be Alf Fisher (l) and Edward Alcock (r)
Between 1905 and 1912, Edward made several trips to South Africa. On the 10 March 1909, Edward boarded the Miltiades at Fremantle and sailed to Durban, South Africa.
Why did Edward Alcock travel to South Africa? According to Wikepedia, the goldmine at Roodepoort was already unprofitable:
In 1884, brothers Fred and Harry Struben, having discovered gold on the farm Wilgespruit at the western end of the Witwatersrand, were granted concessions to mine the area. When George Harrison's find at Langlaagte came to light and gold fever took hold, the Strubens brothers were joined by a swarm of gold diggers. Though the Confidence Reef bore little gold and their mine was unprofitable, the ramshackle town that grew around it became the Roodepoort municipality in 1904.
Perhaps he had an expertise sought by the mining companies there. There is a record of him departing Cape Town on the 17 August 1911 and arriving back at Albany on the 1st September 1911 on the SS Persic.
In 1912, the family was stuck by double tragedies. Firstly, Nathaniel died in July:
Sunday Times, Sunday 14 July 1912
ALCOCK.-The friends of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Alcock, of 24 Dangan Street Perth and formerly of Southern Cross, are respectfully invited to follow the remains of their late "beloved son (Nathaniel) to thc place of interment, the Presbyterian Cemetery, Karrakatta.
The funeral ls appointed to leave Messrs. Bowra and O'Dea's Private Mortuary, 195 Pier-street, Perth, at 2.45 o'clock THIS (Sun- day) AFTERNOON, per road. Friends wishing to attend the funeral may proceed by the 3.30 train leaving Perth.
His grave is still listed on the Karrakatta Cemetery website:
He must have been very sick for the family to travel the 500km or so to Perth.
In August, Edward departed again for South Africa, never to return.
Western Mail, Friday 11 October, 1912, Death Notices:
ALCOCK .-On September 26, Rooderpoorte, South Africa, Edward, the dearly-beloved husband of Alice Alcock, aged 47 years. (By cable).
Amazingly, a letter survives from 100 years ago. In December 1912, his daughter Martha Feltham, wrote to her aunty, Agnes Veness in NSW:
"Mother received full particulars of Dad's death. He died from "Miners Complaint" in the hospital. Mother gets 400 pounds compensation, in or about March."
Miners complaint was the common name for silicosis, an occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis.
Edward died of this just two years before his brother-in-law Archibald McMillan would succumb to the same disease.
He was dearly mourned by his family:
IN MEMORIAM. ALCOCK--In loving memory of my dear father, Edward Alcock, who departed this life on September 26, 1912, at Johannesburg, South Africa. Age 44 years.
Also my dear and only brother, who died at Perth on July 13, 1912. Age 13 years. Inserted by his loving daughter and son-in- law, and grandchildren, Martha, George, and Teddy, Vivien and George Felthm. Southern Cross.
The West Australian Saturday 26 September 1914
IN MEMORIUM. ALCOCK.-In loving memory of my dear father, Edward Alcock, who died at Johannesburg, South Africa, September 26. 1912; also my brother. Nat, died July 13, 1912. -Inserted by his loving daughter and sister, M. Feltham, Southern Cross. [Martha McMillan]
The West Australian, Saturday 25 September 1915
(I do not know why Martha, twice, did not mention her other brother Edward (1891-1902). Although she named her son Teddy after Edward because he was born on the same day, 16 May).
Alice was 41yo when her husband died. How she earned a living is unclear - no doubt she struggled. Alice died in 1949, her husband and five of her children pre-deceasing her.
This is believed to be the Alcocks - I'm unable to account for the discrepancies in the children present.
ALCOCK: On April 17, 1949 at Royal Perth Hospital. Alice, the dearly loved wife of the late Edward Alcock, and loving mother of Martha, Alice, Ellen (deceased), Edward (deceased). Nathanial (deceased). Maidie (deceased) and Neta.
ALCOCK: On April 17, 1949, at Perth, Alice, the dearly loved mother and mother-in-law of Alice and Charles Finch. Resting where no shadows fall.
The West Australian, Monday 18 April 1949
Alice and Edward's children :
Martha Agnes Alcock (1890-1982);
Edward Alcock (1891-1902);
Alice Isabella Alcock (1892-1991);
Ellen May Alcock (1895-1941; sometimes called Helen);
Norman N. Alcock (1897-1898);
Nathaniel Thomas Alcock (1899-1912); and
Mary Ethel Alcock (1903-1927).
The "Neta" referred to in the obituary was the daughter of Ellen, born 1915. In 1926 Ellen married Harold Harvey Brophy (1899-1961). Harold had previously served in WW1 and enlisted during WW2. It seems that Ellen died while he was on active service, later to become a POW:
BROPHY (Nell), who passed away December, 1941; loving wife of Harold (POW. Germany) and mother of Ted.
-The West Australian, Tuesday 21 December 1943
Judging from the newspaper notices (not all reproduced here), this seems to have been a very close family.
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Recently (June 2025) I was contacted by a researcher in South Africa who was chasing Alcocks and came across this site. She had located Edward Alcocks death notice from October 1912. It had been submitted by a friend who had scant knowledge of Edward's family and history.
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