James Larratt Battersby was born in Stockport in 1907. His father was James Johnson Battersby of the old-established Stockport firm of Battersby Hats and James junior was a director of the firm. His father was travelling as a first class passenger on the at the time of her sinking in 1915, after the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat, and was the last to be rescued before the ship sank.