Trafford

Born during the September quarter 1906 in the Bucklow R.D. - ref: 8a/187,
the daughter of Frederick & Ada Louisa Walker, later of 104 Stamford Park
Road, Hale.

She married Robert Parker during the March quarter 1932 in the Bucklow R.D.
- ref: 8a/335 and they resided at 72 Woodheys Drive, Sale. - they had no
children.

Beatrice was the Canteen Manageress at Thames Board Mill in Warrington when
the Town was bombed.    At 17.05 hours on the 14th September 1940, a lone
raider dropped two H.E. bombs on the Recreation Ground of the Thames Board
Paper Mill, where a garden fete was in progress. One bomb fell on the
Canteen and 150 people were buried in the wreckage, of these 16 were killed
(including six employees), fifteen others were seriously injured and 28
slightly injured. 

This was Warrington's worst Wartime atrocity, coming without warning on a
fine Saturday afternoon and targeting innocent families enjoying a fete on
Thames Board Mill's recreation Ground.    "Bomber Kills Women, Babies,"
reported the local press. "Mothers and tiny babies were among the helpless
civilians killed by a lone German raider who swooped down upon them in a
North-West town.    They were attending a Spitfire gala in a recreation
club when the bomber dived without warning and released two bombs.   One
completely wrecked the light wooden club......two families were partly
wiped out, members of others lie in hospital gravely wounded.   It was all
over in seconds.....but dead, dying, injured and a mass of mangled debris
were the pitiful aftermath which this Nazi bomber left behind as,
immediately he swept back into the skies and vanished."

From the "Warrington Worldwide" website commemorating the 75th anniversary
of the incident:-

"Women and young children were amongst the casualties when a German bomber
on its way back from a bombing raid at Manchester, targeted the factory’s
annual fete.  The stray German bomber was travelling along the Manchester
Ship Canal and spotted a large crowd of people at the fete and decided to
unload its last remaining bombs.  There was carnage as one bomb fell on the
canteen burying 150 people in the wreckage, killing 16, injuring a further
28, 15 of them seriously.

“Bomber Kills Women, Babies,” reported the local press.  “Mothers and
tiny babies were among the helpless civilians killed by a lone German
raider who swooped down upon them in a North-West town.  “They were
attending a Spitfire gala in a recreation club when the bomber dived
without warning and released two bombs.  “One completely wrecked the
light wooden club… two families were partly wiped out, members of others
lie in hospital gravely wounded.  It was all over in seconds… but dead,
dying, injured and a mass of mangled debris were the pitiful aftermath
which this Nazi bomber left behind as, immediately he swept back into the
skies and vanished.”

Later there were many conflicting eyewitness accounts from those who had
seen the plane swoop over the town, but most agreed that the pilot was low
enough to see exactly what he had bombed. The Warrington Fire Officer’s
log reported, however, that German radio reports that evening claimed that
the Aluminium Mills at Bank Quay had been bombed.”

At around 5pm, the time of the bombing, Rev Kingsnorth will read out the
names of those who lost their lives a memorial to the victims situated at
the Lake on Centre Parks, Warrington, close to the Village Hotel – the
site of the bombing.   Those who lost their lives were:

Donald Ackerley;  Henry Williamson Coope;  Albert Wallance Cox;  Albert
William Cox;  Rhoda Hannah Gittings Cox;  May Domville;  Amy Heath Edwards;
 Ruth Jackson;  Beatrice Hannah Parker (Canteen Manageress); Ann Lawson
(aged 2);  William Stanley Reynolds;  Lilian Maud Springham;  William
George Springham;  Williams James Taylor;  William John Taylor (aged 3); 
Albert Webb (aged 3).

Beatrice was buried on the 11th October 1940 in Altrincham (Hale) Cemetery
- Burial No. 10,697.

Commemorated on the private family gravestone in Hale Cem.

Her mother, Ada Louisa died 11/05/1931 aged 61 years.  Her brother, Sydney
Frederick Parker died on active service in the 1st W.W.   See Altrincham
1st W.W. Database.