Did John Lennon come from a poor home?
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 19...