Royal Air Force
Born: 3rd December 1925.
Story
Alice, pictured below left aged 15, was the youngest daughter of Nehemiah Cockerham (1885-1972) and Minnie Milner (1888-1985), both pictured right, who married in Allerton Bywater on 31st October 1908. The Cockerhams lived at 2 Bickerdike Terrace. Alice’s brother, Clifford Cockerham, also served in the Navy.
Alice joined the RAF in 1943 at the age of 18, and is pictured right with her fiancé, Reg Land, whom she later married on 7th July 1945. Her father Nehemiah was a storekeeper, and Alice was the store book-keeper when she married.
Alice and Reg had a son Stuart in 1947 and a daughter Hilary in 1952. They went on family holidays in the 1950s and early 60s to traditional resorts like Blackpool, Scarborough (Alice with Stuart and Hilary below) and Cornwall:
From the 1965, Reg and Alice went on long trips abroad to France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, and would take along friends and family on these holidays. Whilst living at Birch Drive, Alice started working at a nearby shop, and got a taste again for shop-keeping. Alice and Reg moved to 40 Park Avenue in 1967, where Alice ran her own shop from the front of the house. Knowing her customers didn’t always have money, Alice would break up bulk products, and sell things like beef burgers singularly. She would also supply non-stocked items at short notice. Alice would also let trusted locals owe money to her, and such was her commitment to service, she was nearly late to her sister Violet’s funeral in 1975 when she only closed her shop at the last minute, and had to run to Kippax Church. Alice was also treasurer at the British legion, and organised group holidays for members at the Legion, as pictured below in a Brewery Cellar. One time, Alice retired as Treasurer of the Kippax British Legion, only to find that her replacement was her husband Reg, which effectively meant that she had to continue as Treasurer.
Alice had been Kippax Rose Queen in her youth, and used to crown the Kippax Rose Queens in the 1960s and 1970s (below left). She also attended assemblies at Kippax Infants schools to explain and promote poppy-buying for the children to remember the War. Alice also found time to care for her mother, Minnie (both pictured below right) who passed away in 1985 a few days short of her 97th birthday, and her father-in-law, Harold Land, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 93.
Alice retired in 1985, and moved with Reg to 202 Leeds Road which needed modernising (above right). Alice was busy designing her retirement home when she fell ill with glioblastoma multiforme cancer, and despite treatment, Alice passed away on 20th December 1987, at the age of 62. Alice and Reg are buried together in Kippax new churchyard.
Kippax Roll of Honour 