[1] Bacon's father was secretary of the Whitwood branch of the National Union of Mineworkers and the family joined in local campaigns to alleviate poverty.

[2] She was educated at Normanton Girls' High School and Stockwell Teachers' Training College, before becoming a schoolteacher.

Bacon was active in the National Union of Teachers and became president of its West Yorkshire division in 1944.

[4] When Labour returned to government under Harold Wilson's leadership in 1964, Bacon became a Minister of State at the Home Office up to 1967, serving under Frank Soskice and Roy Jenkins in a period of liberalising reforms.

Since 2018 the University of Leeds holds an annual Alice Bacon Lecture to celebrate pioneering and strong women.