Private Russell Robert Alcock

1. Private, 44th Battalion, Infantry (Army).
2. Rank unknown (Army). ? to 1916-07-03

Russell Robert Alcock was born 28 August 1896 in Belleville, Hastings, Ontario. His parents were Joseph Edward and Elizabeth Russell (Tufts) Alcock who had married 01 March 1892 in Faraday, Hastings, Ontario. By 1901 the family had relocated to Rat Portage (name later changed to Kenora) along with Joseph's parents Joseph and Sarah (Belch) and his father's siblings George, Charles, Wellington, Amy, Mary, and their families. On the census Joseph's occupation was given as day labourer although at the time of his marriage he was farming. On 02 December 1901 Joseph, Lizzie, and Russell welcomed a new family member, Elsie Sarah Naomi. Another child, John Edward was born 15 December 1904 but died of cholera 31 August 1905. In the 1911 Canada census the family was living on Main Street in Kenora, occupation of Joseph given as hardware salesman. Two more of Joseph's siblings had moved into the area, Frederick and William and their families. By the 1916 Canada census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, the family had moved to Langham, Saskatchewan, a town in the census District of Saskatoon, just north of the city of Saskatoon. Joseph's profession was listed as "income from farm". Russell was listed as being away at military camp.

With one year previous experience with the 105th Regiment, Saskatoon, Russell enlisted in Saskatoon on 25 September 1915. Blue-eyed with brown hair, he had just turned 19 the previous month. Originally with the 65th Saskatchewan Regimental Band, he left Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the Empress of Britain on 18th June 1916, arriving in England on 29 June 1916. From the training camp of Bramshott, he was transferred to A Company of the 44th Battalion on 03 July 1916. On 10 August 1916 the 44th Battalion left for France.

Just over two months later, Private Russell Alcock was Killed in Action at the Somme. Acting as stretcher bearer, he had gone out into "no man's land" to bring in a wounded lad and on the return trip to the trenches, he was hit and killed. From the War Diary for the 44th Battalion, 25 October 1916: "Raining during morning with clearing during afternoon. Battalion attempted to capture portion of Regina Trench under Operation Order No.9. The operation failed owing to insufficiency of artillery barrage. The Battalion suffered heavily -" Casualties were 3 officers killed, 8 wounded, other ranks 37 killed, 125 wounded, 13 missing believed killed, 13 missing. Russell's body was never recovered. Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial in Pas de Calais, France are the names of over 11 000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as "missing, presumed dead" in France; Russell Robert Alcock's name is among them.

Russell is commemorated on page 45 of the First World War Book of Remembrance, on the Langham and District Cenotaph and tree planted in his memory, both in Veterans Memorial Park in Langham, Saskatchewan, and on the Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial website.

Russell's father passed away 19 April 1939 and his mother on 12 April 1950. At the time of his death, Joseph had been postmaster of Langham since 30 March 1917. Russell's sister Elsie married Gordon Masters Creed 10 August 1926 and they lived in Tisdale, Saskatchewan where Gordon was employed as town clerk. Gordon died 04 October 1956 and Elsie 24 December 1973. They had one daughter named Shirley who married and presently lives in Saskatoon.

According to Russell's niece Shirley Creed Ford, the wounded soldier that Russell was bringing in survived the war and in gratitude, every year he would visit Russell's mother until her death.

By Kenora Great War Project