Lt Col John Christie-Miller 1911-2007

 
The Feltmakers are sad to announce the death on 12 November 2007, at age 96, of Lt. Col. John Christie-Miller CBE TD DL, who joined the livery in 1935, was elected to our court in 1946, and became Master in 1956. 

John was educated at Eton, and instead of his attending university as he had planned, in 1930 was encouraged by his father to join the family firm of Christy and Co., the major British hatmaking company founded in 1773. Christy’s had their factory in Stockport, Cheshire, and John started his career as a management trainee on the factory floor, where he learned all the industrial processes involved. He also spent time living in Versailles, France, in order to learn French, as well as in Jerez la Frontera in Spain, to learn Spanish. He was made a director of Christy’s in 1935.

He had joined the TA in the Cheshire Regiment in 1932 and the outbreak of World War II saw the start of a distinguished military career, which included, in 1942, sailing round the Cape and through the Suez canal to join the 8th. Army in Alexandria, then serving as a staff officer to General Montgomery in the campaigns in El Alamein, Sicily and Italy. In 1944 he was awarded the OBE, and in June of that year, John was posted to 21 Army Group, seeing service in Normandy, Belgium and Denmark. In 1946, he returned to Christy’s, but he maintained his commitment to the Cheshire Regiment and when he eventually relinquished his commission in 1956, he was granted the honorary rank of Lt. Colonel. He was chairman of the Cheshire Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association from 1965 to 68.

After the war, the demand for hats was declining, and John oversaw the amalgamation of four leading Stockport firms in 1966, to form Associated British Hat Manufacturers Ltd. He retired at the age of 65. In 1980, the amalgamated company was renamed Christy’s, to reflect the prestige that the name had always commanded in the hatting industry. 

As well as being a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers, John was a past president of the British Felt Hat Manufacturers’ Federation and played a leading role in founding the European Association of Hat Manufacturers, being its president for 14 years.  He was advanced to CBE in 1960.

John Christie-Miller escorting Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, around Christy's Stockport factory in 1960

He was very active in public life in Cheshire, serving as Deputy Lieutenant of the county from 1963, and as High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1974/5. He had numerous other roles including chairman of governors of Stockport Grammar School, trustee of St. George’s Church Stockport, and, as a magistrate since 1949, becoming chairman of Stockport county bench. He was also chairman of Swain and Co., who owned the Stockport Advertiser until 1981.

Peter Shirley & Caroline Cannon-Brookes