Born on the 29th July 1920 as Bernadette Hurley,
daughter of Albert & Margaret Hurley (nee Ryan).

1939 National Registration - 17/19 Andrew Street,
Manchester.    Margaret Hurley - Born on the 19th
December 1893 - Married - occ: Unpaid Domestic
Duties.    Bernadette Hurley - Born on the 29th
July 1920 - Single - occ: Cashire at Cafe.  
Eileen J. Hurley - Born on the 30th April 1923 -
Single - occ: Handkerchief Cutter.   There was one
redacted record at this address - this was
probably Albert & Margaret's daughter -
Margueurite R. Hurley born in 1933.    No trace of
her father anywhere.

Married John Bell during the December quarter 1942
in the Manchester R.D. - ref: 8d/502.

Killed along with 25 other ATS Girls during a
German air raid at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.   The
raid was a daylight low-level attack by 18 FW 190s
of II/SKG.10 on the Great Yarmouth area at 08.45
hours on the 11th May 1943. This was a frontal
attack out of the sun and early morning mist. The
raiders followed a reverse course of that taken by
an earlier raid on the 7th May, crossing in flying
W just N of Britannia Pier and attacking the N
part of Great Yarmouth, exiting over the Winterton
area.
Gorleston ROC post made a sound only report
identifying the incoming FW's about a minute
before the attack. Caister ROC post gave the alarm
to Great Yarmouth Police and the air raid alarm
was sounded only a few seconds after the first
bombs fell.
14 x 500 kg HE bombs fell in various scattered
residential areas in the N of the town. Some of
the bombs bounced over the ground due to the
low-level of their release. There was widespread
destruction from bombs and cannon-fire, and with
49 people killed and 41 injured, this was the
worst air-raid Great Yarmouth endured in WW 2.

A squad of about 30 ATS girls had been exercising
that morning and had just marched back to their
billet at Whitfield House, a large hostel at No.8,
North Drive, when it received a direct hit from an
HE bomb. There were 28 fatalities in just this
incident.

Four Mustangs from 613 Sqn which had just taken
from Coltishall on an armed recce over the Dutch
coast were vectored onto the fleeing FW 190s and
pursued them out to sea at low-level, F/O Townsend
managed to shoot one down, confirmed in German
records.

The other girls killed in the raid were returned
to their respective home parish.

There is a Memorial to these ATS Girls in the Palm
Court Hotel that was built on the site of the
destroyed Imperial Hotel. The site of the Sefton
House annexe where the ATS girls were billeted is
now occupied by the hotel's indoor swimming pool.