the intention of making an attempt to fly the Atlantic. He approached Messrs. Vickers, who were attracted by the proposition, and it was decided that Alcock should make the attempt on a standard Vickers Vimy bomber of service type, fitted with extra petrol tanks. In the evening of 14 June 1919 Alcock, with Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown as his navigator, left St. John's, Newfoundland. They arrived at Clifden, Ireland, on the following morning. The actual journey over the sea, a distance of 1,960 miles, was made in the remarkable time of 15 hours 57 minutes, the total time of the flight being some 15 minutes longer (4.13 p.m. to 8.25 a.m.). Both airmen were received by the King at Windsor Castle on 21 June and created K.B.E. They were also awarded the prize of £10,000 offered by the proprietors of the London Daily Mail for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Their aeroplane was presented to the nation by the firms of Vickers and Rolls Royce, and is exhibited in the Science Museum, South Kensington.
On 18 December 1919 Alcock set out to fly to Paris in order to exhibit a Vickers Viking amphibian aeroplane, designed to alight on land or water. He came down, in a slight mist, at Côte d'Evrard, about twenty-five miles from Rouen. The aeroplane crashed slightly on to its nose, but Alcock was thrown forward and sustained a fracture of the skull. He was taken to Rouen hospital but died the same day without regaining consciousness.
Alcock, who was unmarried, was a modest and generous man, and won the affection of all who came into contact with him. He had a passionate belief in flying, for which he always hoped to do something great. His ambition was gratified, but perhaps the less eventful part of his flying career was the most fruitful. During his two years' instructorship in England he taught and inspired a long series of naval air pilots. One of his pupils, Reginald Alexander John Warneford [q.v.], was the first naval pilot to be awarded the Victoria cross.
There is a portrait of Alcock by Ambrose McEvoy in the National Portrait Gallery.
[Official records; Badminton Magazine, September 1919; The Aeroplane, 31 December 1919; private information.]
ALEXANDER, Sir GEORGE (1858–1918), actor-manager, whose original name was George Samson, the only son of William Murray Samson, a Scotch commercial traveller, by his wife, Mary Ann Hine Longman, was born at Reading 19 June 1858. He was educated at private schools at Clifton and Ealing, and at the High School, Stirling, and had some thought of studying medicine. His father, however, placed him with a London firm, Leaf & Co., drapers' warehousemen, and in 1875 he entered on a commercial career. He almost immediately became interested in theatres, and in the same year joined an amateur dramatic club. He first appeared on the stage, as an amateur, in 1875 at the old Cabinet Theatre, King's Cross, as Henri de Neuville in Plot and Passion. After four years of commercial life he finally made up his mind to become a professional actor. He obtained an engagement with Miss Ada Swanborough, and made his first professional appearance at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, 8 September 1879, as Charles in His Last Legs and Harry Prendergast in Snowball. The same year he joined the Caste comedy company on tour, playing leading juvenile parts. He made his first professional appearance in London at the Standard Theatre, Bishopsgate, 4 April 1881, as Freddy Butterscotch in The Guv'nor. At the end of the same year he was engaged by (Sir) Henry Irving for the Lyceum Theatre, and appeared there 26 December 1881 as Caleb Deecie in a revival of Two Roses. He also appeared there as Paris in Irving's revival of Romeo and Juliet. He was next engaged for the Court Theatre, where he played in The Parvenu. He then joined Miss (Ellen) Wallis's company on tour, playing such parts as Orlando, Romeo, Benedick, Posthumus Leonatus. At a series of matinées in London at the Gaiety Theatre, February–April 1883, he played most of these parts. In June 1883 he appeared at the Adelphi Theatre in Ranks and Riches, and was next engaged by (Sir) John Hare and William Hunter Kendal for the St. James's Theatre, appearing there in Impulse, Young Folks' Ways, and other pieces. When Mary Anderson (Madame de Navarro) produced W. S. Gilbert's Comedy and Tragedy at the Lyceum, 26 January 1884, he played the part of D'Aulnay. He rejoined the St. James's company, and on 17 April 1884 appeared there as Octave in The Ironmaster. He was then re-engaged by Irving for the Lyceum, and after playing De Mauprat in Richelieu (August 1884) he accompanied Irving on his second American tour, playing the leading juvenile parts in the Lyceum repertory. Returning to London in 1885, he played several of the same parts. In Faust
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