“BILLY” BIRTWISTLE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 254, 23 July 1936, Page 9

“BILLY” BIRTWISTLE

Lancashire Millionaire Dead "Dominion” Special Service.—By Air Mail London, June 20. Cotton millionaire, William Birtwistle, who married his typist when he was 74 and she 20, died at Preston this week, aged 81. For years he was one of the leading figures In the cotton trade, but it wa: his marriage that made him world famous. He was astonished by th< “fuss” over his wedding, and particularly by the hundreds of cablegrams from American newspapers asking for details.

The bride, formerly Miss Edith Stevenson, was brought up in the cottage home of her father, a spinner, employed in a cotton mill. After the wedding, which took place at Preston on a Saturday at 8 a.m., Mr. and Mrs. Birtwistle went to London. But it was it honeymoon of 24 hours, for Mr. Birtwistle returned to Preston on the Sunday evening saying he must attend to his business. Mrs. Birtwistle remained in London, but at 8 o’clock on Monday morning her husband was at work at one of his mills. The romance is said to have started when Mr. Birtwistle noticed Miss Stevenson having trouble with her typewriter and adjusted it for her. He was only 20 when he started in business for himself. In time he had 16 mills, equipped with 7000 looms and 300,000 spindles under his control. He launched out in establishing retail shops, to effect direct contact between the mills and the general public. When hard times came to Lancashire in recent years, he still battled his way through with the courage and tenacity he has shown throughout his career. To thousands of Lancashire mill workers he was always “Billy” Birtwistle. the blunt Lancashire man who remained just the same after he had risen in the world. At his own expense he erected a nursing home during the war.

Some years ago he passed over his managing-directorship to his elder son, Brigadier-General Arthur Birtwistle, but continued to take an active interest in the business. Until recently he was always at his desk in the morning, at the time hi operators began work in the mill.