Bessie was born in 1899 to Harry Bamber, a bookbinder and Mary, a well known, outspoken trade union organiser. Although Bessie's upbringing was comfortable, she realised at an early age that all was not well socially within her home city.

At the age of 23 Bessie married a local politician, Jack Braddock, who shared Bessie's concerns about the poor housing and infant mortality rates in western Europe. The couple worked together and soon became prominent political figures on Merseyside. Bessie served as an MP for Liverpool for 31 years and strove to improve the city's housing conditions. From being an alderman in 1955, Jack went on to become leader of the City Council.

In 1945 Bessie Braddock was became Labour MP for Liverpool Exchange at Westminster.
Her strong views and forceful ability to express them made her one of most well known parliamentarians of the time. She was unashamedly direct and to the point and held little respect for her opponents. Even members of her own party would not be tolerated by Bessie as Winston Churchill discovered during a dinner party.

"Winston you're drunk, horribly drunk", scolded Bessie. Churchill is alleged to have replied replied, "And you're ugly, really ugly. But I will be sober in the morning."

Seven months before her death in November 1970 "Battling Bessie" was given the freedom of Liverpool but was too ill to attend the ceremony. She was respected and loved by her poor, needy and unemployed Liverpool constituents. Her often unpublicised acts of compassion and human kindness are legendary.