The couple settled at 102 Upper Stanhope Street, a boarding house kept by the John family, in Toxteth, Liverpool and, in 1911 they had their only child, William Patrick Hitler.

Alois went to Germany in 1914 to establish himself in business but these plans were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Bridget refused to go with him, as he had become violent and started beating their son.

Adolf Hitler's stay in Liverpool has corroboration from the biographer and friend of British Intelligence chief, Sir William Stephenson, in his book A Man Called Intrepid.

Biographer William Stevenson states:  "Hitler's little-known sojourn in England between November 1912 and April 1913 is authenticated by BSC documents.”[9][unreliable source?]

"[10] The opening sentence of Chapter 4 of Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf states: "In the spring of 1912 I came at last to Munich".

Some historians dismiss Bridget's manuscript as being a fabrication written in an attempt to cash in on her famous relationship.

However, in his book The Hitlers Of Liverpool, Michael Unger quotes the Canadian historian, Professor Alan Cassels, who wrote "The Merseyside details are certainly circumstantially credible"... "I'm inclined to believe his sister-in-law".

The family of Bridget Dowling remained a mystery until the Irish censuses for 1901 and 1911 were digitised and released online.