James Johnson Battersby

The 1901 British census shows five Battersby brothers, Charles, James, Walter, Earnest and Edgar, along with their father William, all working in the business.

For an Australian court case of 1935, Battersby sent evidence that his company had the capacity to produce 12,000 hats per week.

[5] He committed suicide in 1955 by jumping into the Mersey Ferry's paddles, causing his death by decapitation.

[6] In 1915, Battersby was travelling as a first class passenger on the RMS Lusitania when the ship was sunk[7] by a torpedo fired from a German U-boat.

At the time of his death, his address was Dinglewood, Bramhall Park, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire (now Greater Manchester).