William A. “Bill” Aldcroft (1881 - 1946)

Bill Aldcroft was born in Manchester, England. He was an active member of the Manchester volunteer militia.((Library and Archives Canada, Attestation Paper, WWI Reg # 107067, Vancouver, 10 November 1916.))\\ 

Aldcroft relocated the King Edward claim on Dublin Gulch in 1908 and then quickly sold it to Martin Raney and Henrietta Williamson. They sold their half shares to Jack Stewart and Dr. William Catto who mined on Dublin Gulch for more than ten years. ((Michael Gates, //Dublin Gulch: A History of the Eagle Gold Mine.// Lost Moose, 2020: 48.)) In 1915 Alcroft owned creek claim No. 7 on Dublin Gulch.((Yukon Archives, GOV 1654, f.29600-B.))\\ 

Aldcroft was working in Dawson as an engineer machinist in November 1916 when he enlisted to serve in the First World War. ((Library and Archives Canada, Attestation Paper, WWI Reg # 107067, Vancouver, 10 November 1916.)) He was on the roster of the Klondyke Contingent.((Yukon Archives, GOV 1654, f.29600-B.)) He enlisted with Canadian Expeditionary Forces in Vancouver in November 1916. He married Elizabeth Stone while he was in England. Bill was discharged in 1919 and returned to Dawson. Their son Ian Royle was born in 1920. The family moved to Vancouver for a while and returned to the Yukon in 1928 [1927?].((“William A. Aldcroft,” //Find a Grave,// 2024 website: William A. Aldcroft (1881-1946) - Find a Grave Memorial)) A meeting was held in Dawson on 18 May 1927 to affiliate the War Veterans Dawson Club with the Canadian Legion and Sergeant Major William Aldcroft was a member.((John Gould, “A Short Bit of History: Dawson Legion No.1.” Unpublished manuscript.))\\ 

When Bill returned from his military service, he was the machine shop foreman in the Bear Creek shop just outside of Dawson. He moved to the Mayo district silver camp during the boom years.(“W.A. Aldcroft, Dawson pioneer, dies suddenly.” //Whitehorse Daily Star// (Whitehorse), 287 December 1946.)) The Aldcrofts lived in Mayo and their son Ian attended school there in the early 1930s. Bill was the diesel operator of Treadwell Yukon’s Mayo generator. The family moved to Dawson in the late 1930s. ((Linda E.T. MacDonald and Lynette R. Bleiler, //Gold & Galena.// Mayo Historical Society, 1990: 37, 335.)) Bill Aldcroft worked in the Bear Creek garage until ill health forced his retirement.((“W.A. Aldcroft, Dawson pioneer, dies suddenly.” //Whitehorse Daily Star// (Whitehorse), 287 December 1946.))  

After Bill’s death, Ian and his mother travelled to England and Elizabeth remained in England until her death in 1954. Ian returned to Dawson in 1948 with his wife Yvonne (Vanny). They lived and worked at Bear Creek and then moved to Red Deer, Alberta in the 1970s. Ian died in 1984.((“William A. Aldcroft,” //Find a Grave,// 2024 website: William A. Aldcroft (1881-1946) - Find a Grave Memorial))