Today’s Leader of Faith
ALICE MILDRED CABLE
Home Call : 30 April 1952
Missionary, Evangelist, Author, Soul-winner, Bravest woman.
Alice Mildred Cable (1878 – 1952) was a British Protestant Christian missionary in China, serving with the China Inland Mission. She is best known for her pioneering work, particularly in the remote regions of western China, including the Gobi Desert. Along with her close companions, Francesca French and Evangelina French (known together as the “Three Women of the Gobi”), she undertook bold evangelistic journeys through dangerous and isolated areas, sharing the Gospel among Muslim, Buddhist, and animist communities. Together, they led many souls to Christ through their unwavering proclamation of the Gospel. In the 1920s and 1930s, she travelled extensively across Chinese Turkestan (now Xinjiang), facing extreme conditions and hostility. She often travelled by camel caravan, lived simply, and distributed Christian literature. Her work was notable not only for the spiritual impact but also for the ethnographic and geographic insights. She was among the first Western women to explore the Gobi Desert in such depth.
Cable was born on 21 February 1878 in Guildford, Surrey, England, to John Cable, a successful draper. From a young age, she wanted to become a missionary. She studied pharmacy and human sciences at London University. When her fiancé asked her to give up her missionary dream, she ended the engagement, chose not to take her final exam, and joined the China Inland Mission in 1901. There she met Evangeline (Eva) French, and they worked together for the rest of their lives. They were stationed in Huozhou, Shanxi, and were later joined by Eva’s sister, Francesca, in 1910. After 20 years, they handed over their mission work to local Chinese leaders and moved to western China in 1923 to work in a mostly Muslim area.
From 1923, Mildred Cable, along with Eva and Francesca French, travelled extensively across Central Asia, spreading the gospel along trade routes and remote areas. They set up a Bible school in Zhangye, made Jiuquan their base, and reached Tibetan, Mongol, and Muslim communities, focusing especially on Muslim women and learning the Uighur language. Despite facing criticism, they boldly administered Communion and travelled without armed caravans. Known for their strong personalities, they undertook dangerous journeys, including a detainment by Ma Zhongying and a year-long trek into Xinjiang. After leaving China in 1936, they retired to Dorset. Cable remained active as a speaker and writer, receiving the Lawrence of Arabia Medal in 1942 and serving the Bible Society until her death.
Cable died in London, England, at the age of 73. After returning to England from her missionary work in China and Central Asia, she continued writing and speaking about her experiences, inspiring many with her courage, faith, and dedication. Though she never married, her deep companionship with Francesca and Evangeline French remained one of the most remarkable partnerships in missionary history.
— John Michael, Rajahmundry