Lieutenant-Colonel Mark James Mayhew (7 July 1871-1944), the Battersea Flour Mills proprietor. Lt. Col. Mayhew was born in Battersea, UK, to James William Mayhew (1839-1894) and Mary Stone (1840 – deceased). His siblings were  Mary Rose Mayhew (1971-Deceased) and Dora F. Mayhew (1876-Deceased). At the age of 23, upon his father’s death, he inherited great wealth and owned the Battersea Flour Mills. He was educated at Harrow and entered a military career, which ended in 1899 with his commission as Lieutenant.

Lt. Col. Mayhew was obsessed with automobiles and owned at least 4 at any given time, which he replaced on a yearly basis. He was a founding member and vice-president of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland and a chairman of the Highways Committee. He served on the board of the London City Council and fought for the recognition of the automobile as the new mode of transportation. In May 1902, he purchased the five 16hp Napier trucks with a 5-ton capacity to make deliveries for Battersea Flour Mills, which replaced the horse-drawn wagons. On this subject, he wrote an article for The Car Illustrated in June 1902 entitled “A Coming Revolution,” in which he predicted “a future with no horses, no smell on the streets, fewer road repairs and the faster delivery of goods.”

During World War 1, Mayhew commanded the British Motor Service Volunteer Corps, and for his service was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

Lt. Col. Mayhew helped to innovate screenprinting in England when he obtained the United Kingdom patent rights from Selectasine in 1918 and set up a similarly named company, Selecticin, in London. Due to his efforts, news of the new printing technique spread and was adopted by companies in the advertising and signwriting trades. Early development was primarily hampered by a lack of suitable materials, and the screen printers had to solve the technical problems that the new technique produced.

Lt. Col. Mayhew was married to Dora Christine Mayhew (1878-deceased) and had two children, Reginald Rawson Mark Mayhew (1904-) and Peter Mayhew 1911-). He married Mary Rose Mayhew (1871-deceased) after his wife’s death.

Lt. Col. Mayhew passed away in 1944, at Surrey, England, UK at the age of 74.