 In the years immediately before the war Bessie was concerned at the extent of recruitment in the city by the British Union of Fascists . She was outspoken in her attacks on fascist groups , and in her defence of those who attacked their parades . The death of her mother Mary Bamber in June 1938 , at the age of 63 , was a considerable personal blow to Bessie , and was widely mourned within Liverpool 's socialist community . 
