Daniel Brice

Story

Daniel Brice lived at Cockleshell Walk, Sittingbourne, Kent, England. He was employed in the town’s brickmaking yard in Effingham Street which was previously called Brick Street. It is not known why Daniel decided to leave England but it was probably his trade which resulted in his successful nomination for immigration to Australia. He was nominated by Thomas Pugh and sponsored by James and George Cox whose brickmaking business was situated on the corner of Magill Road and Osmond Terrace at Norwood in South Australia.

The family of seven sailed from Plymouth aboard the ‘Marshall Bennett’ which was under the command of Captain Harris, and dropped anchor at Glenelg on the 28th April, 1853. The journey was not without incident, as they left Plymouth a gale carried away three topsails. During the voyage the hold was inspected and it was found that seven water-casks had leaked, this discovery altered their course and they put in at the Cape to replenish their stock of water and provisions. On the 6th of April it was discovered that the forehold was taking on water and a foresail was passed over the bows and under the ship’s bottom and the pumps were set in motion. The passengers helped the crew in monitoring the situation throughout the night. The leak was traced and plugged with oakum (the loose fibre of rope) and the situation improved for some time until another gale was encountered and the leak gradually increased and became so serious that the ship “hove to”. Another sail was passed over the bows and the leak was caulked with white lead oakum and pressure applied by means of “shot and chain”. A report of the harrowing journey which was published in the S.A. Register, commended “the captain, crew and passengers, to whose united exertions (under Divine Providence) may be attributed an almost miraculous preservation”.

The family – Daniel, his wife Ann and children Daniel William, Ann Elizabeth, John, Emma and William settled into a cottage at Norwood which was owned by the Cox brothers, here, another son George, was born in 1854. In 1856 Daniel was contracted by Robert Norman to burn 500,000 bricks to build the town of Normanville on the South Australian Fleurieu Peninsula. He took his young family with him and set up his brickmaking venture on the banks of the Bungala River and while living in tents another daughter, Mary Jane, was born. Another three daughters, born at Norwood followed, only two, Eliza and Elizabeth survived. The oldest daughter, Elizabeth Ann, met and eventually married the Scottish born Alexander Smith with whom she had become acquainted in the few years they spent near Yankalilla. Alexander was already a successful business man and they settled in a house attached to their business premises, which still stands today (2006), and is situated in the main street of Yankalilla.

In 1879 Daniel and his eldest son Daniel William purchased land at Thebarton and set up their brickmaking business as D. Brice and Son. The business, large residence and stables were sold when Daniel died, and the proceeds divided between his children. All of the children married and had large families and almost 2,500 descendants have been traced to date, one of these the great-grandson of Daniel Brice, was Flying Officer Frederick Michael Spafford (Spam), who was an integral member of the RAF’s most famous bomb squad, the “Dam Busters”, he was the bomb aimer who breached the Moehne and Eder Dams. He had been orphaned at the age of eight and reared by his uncle, Walter John Spafford who was the director of the South Australian Department of Agriculture.

Both Daniel and Ann, nee Palmer, signed their U.K. marriage certificate with ‘theirXmark’ but all documents in Australia were actually signed by Daniel. Daniel survived his wife by 29 years and died at West Thebarton in 1901 at the age of 83, he was buried in Payneham Cemetery.

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