Did John Lennon come from a poor home?
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| Liverpool in the 1940s. Photograph: Bernard Fallon |
All four Beatles had what Mark Lewisohn calls ‘unvarnished working class roots’ in an industrial city that had seen better days. Liverpool was heavily bombed during the war and its docks long in decline. The rationing of food and clothing (until 1954) added to a general austerity.
John’s parents were married but did not live together. His father, Alfred (Freddie) Lennon, went back to sea before John was born. He never really came back. The couple were legally separated in 1942.
In October 1940, Alf and Julia Lennon took their new-born baby home. On paper, they would be living with their (Stanley) in laws on Newcastle Street, in the inner city. Within weeks, however, the façade of a settled family began to crumble.
A suitable home?
While Alf was at sea Julia worked as a barmaid. In 1945, she had a second child, a daughter named Victoria. Julia put Victoria, up for adoption but kept custody of John.
Towards the end of 1946, Julia further scandalised the Stanley family when she took up with John 'Bobby' Dykins, who she met while working in a cafe. While Dykins, a wine steward at the posh Adelphi Hotel, was a modest upgrade on Freddie, he was no catch. The couple moved into a tiny flat in which there was literally one bed.
'Living in sin' was still very much frowned upon in the genteel English suburbs. Julia seemed to be sliding into irrevocable social disgrace. There were also legitimate concerns for the five-year-old John's welfare. Mimi told Julia bluntly that John sharing a bed with his mother and her new partner was suboptimal. 'Let him live with us,' she said. 'We can offer John a better life.'
At first, Julia bitterly resisted this 'rescue plan' and was determined to keep John with her. Dykins threw Mimi out of the flat. Mimi returned with an official from Liverpool Social Services.
Eventually, Julia agreed to Aunt Mimi and Uncle George informally taking custody of her son. From this point on, John entered a more emotionally stable and materially affluent childhood.
Mendips
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Aunt Mimi’s house — Copyright Pernille Eriksen — reprinted here with permission — prints available |
When they first met John Lennon, John and Paul both lived in council houses (social housing). Neither considered themselves to be poor, but they were conscious of a social divide between their households and that of their new friend and band leader.
