 Elizabeth Bamber was born on 24 September 1899 at 23 Zante Street , Liverpool , the eldest daughter of Hugh Bamber , a bookbinder , and his wife Mary , née Little . Mary had come to Liverpool as a child when her father , a well @-@ to @-@ do Edinburgh lawyer , abandoned his family after his descent into alcoholism and poverty . Liverpool in the late 19th century suffered extremes of poverty , and had the highest infant mortality rate in the country . Mary became a trade union organiser and campaigner against poverty , and established a reputation as an outstanding platform speaker . She was the dominant early influence on her daughter Elizabeth , who formed a lifelong determination to represent and fight for the disadvantaged . 
