Colin Bawn Hurrell, Coder (P/JX 251560), was born in Runcorn, Cheshire on January 25th 1913, the only child of William Henry Allan Hurrell, a draughtsman for the Manchester Ship Canal Company, and his wife Florence, who died when her son was three. At the outbreak of World War II, Colin was employed as a contracts order clerk and was living with his father, step-mother and step-siblings in the Stretford area of Manchester. He married Elsie Drake on October 7th 1939.