Brigid Elizabeth Hitler, nee Downey was born in1892 in Dublin, Ireland. She was the wife of Adolf Hitler's half-brother and second cousin, Alois Hitler. William Patrick Hitler their son was born on March 12, 1911, in Liverpool, England. Brigid met Alois, a waiter, in 1910 at a Dublin horse show. She claimed he beat her, so she left him, but because of being Catholic, she could not divorce him. After leaving Germany, Brigid and William came to the United States and settled in New York City. Brigid Hitler worked for the British War Relief in New York City. William Patrick Hitler gave speeches to men's clubs and other organizations telling them what it was like to live in Germany under the Nazi regime. He was rejected by the United States Army in 1942. William Patrick Hitler was inducted into the United States Navy on March 6, 1944.