Son of Mrs. A.C. Battersby. Born in Tavistock, ON but lived and worked in Brantford prior to his enlistment. Attended Queen's University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science. Recipient of the Military Cross for gallant conduct at Courcelette in 1916. Killed in action by overhead shrapnel while in charge of an armoured car on the road between Licourt and Marchelpot.
"I am a great newphew of Major William (AKA Billy) Falconer Battersby. He Died when riding his Motor Cycle that had a side car and a 30 caliber Machine Gun Mounted on the a ring that was mounted to the top of the opening of the side car. and from what I gathered from his personnel dairies and daily entries. He had taken rest in a Catholics Church very close to the board of Belgium on the French side he was in the door way of the church when he saw Germans coming up a road in front of the church. With his men inside Him and three other men got on to there motor cycles and in the side cars and did there best to divert the attention of the germens and had them chase them down the road heading south to a big force of Canadian Army close to them. He died in Belgium up the road from the church. with one hand in the trigger and the machine gun facing backwards on the side car. It was a Local Belgium citizen that mailed his dairies a motor cycle hand book and a little Holy Bible that har a 9 mm bullet hole above the H in the word Holy. The bullet was stopped in the book of Romans they mailed all that back to his mother in a wooden box. I being his grand Nephew was given a hair & suit brush jet with a wooden comb that was broken in two pieces. This was all given to me when I came out of U.S. Marine Boot camp. This story was past to me by my Father his nephew Charlie L Battersby."
- Submitted by Bert C Battersby of Olympia, WA, USA
Fallen
