Alfred Lennon
Encyclopedia
Alfred "Alf" Lennon was the father of English musician John Lennon
. He spent many years in an orphanage
—with his sister, Edith—after his father died. He was known as being very witty and musical throughout his life—he sang and played the banjo
—but not as being very dependable. Although always known as Alf by his family, he later released a record as Freddie Lennon, and was quoted in newspapers under that name.
He married Julia Stanley
in 1938. John was their only child together, but as Alf was often away at sea during World War II
, he did not see much of his child during his infancy. During this period, Julia became pregnant with another man's child. Alf offered to look after his wife, their child and the expected baby, but Julia rejected the idea. Alf had very little contact with his son until Beatlemania
, when they met again, but later had only intermittent contact with each other. Alf died in Brighton
, where he had gone to live after marrying 19-year-old Pauline Jones.
, Ireland
, and were married in St. Anthony's Chapel, Scotland Road
, Liverpool, on 29 April 1849. James was a warehouseman and a cooper
at the time. They had seven children together: Elizabeth (b.1850), James, John "Jack", William George, Richard Francis, Joseph (b.1865) and Edward. Jack Lennon (b. 1855), a shipping clerk/bookkeeper, the father of Alf Lennon and grandfather to John Winston Lennon.
In 1888, Jack married Margaret Cowley (from Liverpool
) and they had two children: Mary Elizabeth Lennon, and Michael Lennon. Margaret died giving birth to Michael (who also died 15 days later) on 19 August 1892. Shortly after, Jack began living with Mary "Polly" Maguire as man and wife. In total they had fifteen children, eight who died young. In 1901, Jack, Polly and his daughter, Mary, were living at 3 Lockhart Street, Liverpool. They lived in the Toxteth Park
area of Liverpool, and at least five of their children were born there: George Lennon (1905, in Denton Street), Herbert Lennon (1908), Sydney Lennon (1909), Harold Lennon (1911) and Alfred Lennon (1912) were born at 27 Copperfield Street.
Jack eventually married Polly in 1915, after they had moved to Elmore Street, Everton. One of the witnesses at the wedding was Polly's sister, Catherine Seddon. Daughter Edith Lennon was born that year and then Charles (21 November 1918—26 May 2002). The Lennons moved back to Toxteth Park, and Jack died in 1921, at 57 Copperfield Street. He is buried in a common and unmarked grave
(along with five unknown adults and three children) in the Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool. Polly could not read or write, but was reported to be very humorous and supposedly had psychic
abilities. After Jack died, Polly did not have enough money to keep the whole Lennon family together, so she placed two of her children, Alf and Edith, in the Blue Coat School
Orphanage
. It was situated just around the corner from Newcastle Road (where Julia Stanley lived). Polly died on 30 January 1949.
, who toured America with 'Roberton's Kentucky Minstrels' Vaudeville
troupe in the late 19th century. It is also claimed that Jack's first wife was an American, who died during childbirth after they had both moved back to Liverpool
. This has been proven—by checking birth certificates, the 1861, 1871, and 1901 censuses—to be false.
as a child and wore leg braces
, which led to his growth being stunted at 5'4". In 1927, he auditioned for a children's music hall
act, Will Murray's Gang, at the Liverpool Empire Theatre
. Having passed the audition he ran away from the orphanage and joined the show. He travelled with the troupe for a time before being discovered in Glasgow
and returned to the orphanage, where he was severely punished. Alf was known as being always quick with a joke or a witty line, but never held a job for any length of time. When he was 15 years old he left the Bluecoat orphanage and found a job as an office-boy, but preferred to visit Liverpool's many vaudeville theatres and cinemas, where he knew the usherette
s by name. His brother Sydney often lent money to Alf, after Sydney got a job in a tailor's shop.
Alf first saw Julia Stanley at at the 'Trocadero' club, a converted cinema on Camden Road
, Liverpool. Although he did not speak to her at the time, he later saw Julia again in Sefton Park
, where he had gone with a friend to meet girls. Alf, who was dressed in a bowler hat
and holding a cigarette holder
, saw "this little waif
" sitting on a wrought-iron
bench. The 14-year-old Julia said that his hat looked "silly", to which the 15-year-old Alf replied that Julia looked "lovely", and sat down next to her. Julia asked him to take off his hat, so he promptly took it off and threw it straight into the lake.
Alf was a talented musician, and specialised in impersonating Louis Armstrong
and Al Jolson
. He played the banjo
, as did Julia, though neither pursued music professionally (Julia would later teach her son how to play the banjo). They spent their days together walking around Liverpool and dreaming of what they would do in the future — like opening a shop, a pub, a cafe, or a club. In March 1930, he took a job as bellboy on board the Cunard
passenger liner SS Montrose. He kept in touch with Julia, writing to her and meeting her whenever he docked in Liverpool. He was later offered a job on a whaling
ship for two years—which could have earned him enough money to buy a house—but turned it down when he found out that Julia's father had arranged the job, so as to keep Alf as far away from Julia as possible.
On 3 December 1938, 11 years after they had first met, Julia married Alf after proposing
to him. They were married in the Bolton Street Registry Office
, and Julia wrote 'cinema usherette' on the marriage certificate as her occupation, even though she had never been one. None of Julia's family were there, but Alf's brother Sydney acted as a witness. They spent their honeymoon
eating at 'Reece's' restaurant in Clayton Square (which is where his son would later celebrate after his marriage to Cynthia Powell
), and then went to a cinema. On their wedding night, Julia stayed at the Stanleys' house and Alf went back to his rooming house.
Julia's family did not like Alfred at all: Julia's father said Alf was "certainly not middle class," and Julia's sister Mimi
was particularly opposed to him. Julia's father demanded that Alf present something concrete to show that he could financially support Julia, but Alf's only idea was to sign on as a Merchant Navy bellboy on a ship bound for the Mediterranean. He later worked on Ocean liner
s that travelled between the Greek islands, North Africa and The West Indies. Alf graduated from bellboy to steward during the months he was away, but when he arrived back in Liverpool he moved into the Stanley home in Newcastle Road. He auditioned for local theatre managers as a 'ship's entertainer', but had no success, and went back to sea.
Julia found out that she was pregnant in January 1940. John Winston Lennon was born on 9 October 1940, in the second-floor ward of the Oxford Street Maternity Hospital in Liverpool, supposedly during a German
air raid in World War II, although it has been confirmed there was no air raid on this date. Alf first saw his son that November when he returned from working as a merchant seaman
on troop transport
s during World War II. He sent regular pay cheques to Julia, who lived with her son at 9 Newcastle Road (the Stanley family's home). Alf occasionally went back to Liverpool, but did not stay long before he was sent off on another ship. The cheques to Julia stopped when Alf went absent without leave in 1943. Neither Julia nor the Merchant Navy knew of Alf's whereabouts. Julia only found out because she stopped receiving her allowance money, and the Navy wrote to her to inform her that they were looking for Alf.
Julia had started going out to dance halls
in 1942, and met a Welsh soldier named 'Taffy' Williams who was stationed in the barracks at Mossley Hill
. Alf blamed himself for this, as he had written letters telling Julia that because there was a war on, she should go out and enjoy herself. Julia took his advice, and often gave her young son a piece of chocolate or sugar pastry the next morning for breakfast that she had been given the night before. She became pregnant by Williams in late 1944, though first claiming that she had been rape
d by an unknown soldier.
When Alf eventually came home on 13 January 1945, he offered to look after Julia, their son and the expected baby, but Julia rejected the idea. Alf took John to his brother Sydney's house, in the Liverpool suburb of Maghull
, a few months before the birth. The baby girl, Victoria, was subsequently given up for adoption (after intense pressure from Julia's father and family) to a Norwegian Salvation Army
Captain. Julia later met Bobby Dykins and lived with him, but after considerable pressure from Mimi — who twice contacted Liverpool's Social Services and complained about the infant sleeping in the same bed as Julia and Dykins — Julia reluctantly handed the care of her son over to Mimi. According to his brother Charlie, people used to visit the Lennon house in Copperfield Street while Alf was away at sea, offering large sums of money (up to £300) if Alf would divorce Julia, but Charlie told them to "get lost".
In July 1946, Alf visited Mimi's house at 251 Menlove Avenue
and took his son to Blackpool
for a long 'holiday'—but secretly intending to emigrate to New Zealand with him. Julia and Dykins found out and followed them to Blackpool, and after a heated argument Alf made the five-year-old boy choose between Julia or him. John chose Alf (twice) and then Julia walked away, but in the end John, crying, followed her. Alf lost contact with the family until Beatlemania
, when he and John met again. In 1968, John Lennon told Hunter Davies
that he soon forgot his father, saying, "It was like he was dead."
, North Africa
, but was arrested for stealing one bottle of beer from the ship, consequently serving nine days in a military prison. After his release he became involved in various "shady deals", and was supposedly rescued from a criminal gang of Arab
s. He eventually served on a troopship from North Africa to Italy
before finally boarding a ship that was making its way to England, in 1944. In 1949, Alf's career at sea ended when he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. He had been drinking when, late at night, he saw a mannequin
in a wedding dress
in a shop window. He broke the window, picked up the mannequin, and danced with it in the street until he was arrested.
In 1958, when Alf was working with Charlie Lennon in The Barn Restaurant in Solihull
, their brother Sydney sent a newspaper clipping from the Liverpool Echo
reporting that Julia had died. A saddened Alf left Solihull for London, but kept in touch with Charlie by phone.
Alf made no real attempt to contact John again until the height of Beatlemania
(claiming he did not know who The Beatles
were). He was working as a kitchen porter at the Greyhound Hotel in Hampton
, South London
, when someone pointed out a photograph of John Lennon in a newspaper and asked whether he was related to John. Alfred and Charlie visited one of The Beatles' Christmas shows at the Finsbury Park Empire
in London. When The Beatles were filming a scene for A Hard Day's Night
in the Scala Theatre
in Soho
in April 1964, Alf walked into Brian Epstein's
NEMS office in Argyle Street
with a journalist. "I'm John Lennon's father", he explained to the receptionist. When Epstein was informed, he "went into a panic", and immediately sent a car to bring John to NEMS office. Alf was shabbily dressed, with his unkempt, thinning grey hair greased back. He stuck out his hand, but John did not take it, saying "What do you want?". Alf placated John somewhat by saying, "You can't turn your back on your family, no matter what they've done." Their conversation did not last long, as John soon ordered Alf and the journalist out of the NEMS office. The Beatles' personal stories were kept out of the newspapers — by agreement with journalists who were offered exclusive stories in return — but one day John opened a copy of the Daily Express
and saw a photo of his father.
A few weeks later, John's wife Cynthia
opened the door of Kenwood
(their home in Weybridge
) to see a man who "looked like a tramp
" but, alarmingly, with John's face. Cynthia invited Alf in, and gave him tea and cheese on toast
until John came home, which he was expected to do in an hour or so. While waiting, Cynthia offered to cut Alf's "long, stringy locks" of hair, which he allowed her to do. After waiting for a couple of hours, Alf left. John was annoyed when he came home, and told Cynthia (for the first time) about Alf's visit to the NEMS office a few weeks earlier. Later he relented slightly and contacted Alf over the next few months, telling Cynthia "Alright, Cyn. He's a bit 'wacky', like me." After Christmas, in 1965, John was embarrassed to hear that Alf had made a record: "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)
", released on 31 December 1965. John asked Epstein to do anything he could to stop it being released or becoming a hit. The record never made it into the charts. In 1966 "Freddie Lennon" (the name under which Alf recorded) tried again, and issued three singles with the group Loving Kind. These records did not sell well, either. Though the public at large quickly forgot these attempts to cash in on his son's success with The Beatles, the records do command fairly high prices among collectors of rare records, with "That's My Life" being worth over £50.
, Scotland
. In 1966, Alf asked John if he could give Pauline a job, so Pauline was hired to help looking after Julian Lennon
and also the piles of fan mail
. Pauline spent a few months living at Kenwood in the attic bedroom. Alf and Pauline moved to a flat in Bourne Court, London Road, Patcham
(a suburb of Brighton
) before moving to Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, in November 1969. Alf had two sons with Pauline: David Henry Lennon and Robin Francis Lennon.
. Pauline contacted John via Apple Corps
to make sure that he knew that his father was dying. John sent a large bouquet of flowers to the hospital and phoned Alf on his deathbed, apologising for his (John's) past behaviour. In 1990, Pauline published a book called Daddy, Come Home, detailing her life with Alf and his meetings with John. Pauline later remarried, and is now known as Pauline Stone.
" is John's song about his youth in Liverpool. Alf replied to this song by releasing the single, "That's My Life", b/w “The Next Time You Feel Important”, in 1965. (1965)
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. He spent many years in an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
—with his sister, Edith—after his father died. He was known as being very witty and musical throughout his life—he sang and played the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
—but not as being very dependable. Although always known as Alf by his family, he later released a record as Freddie Lennon, and was quoted in newspapers under that name.
He married Julia Stanley
Julia Lennon
Julia Lennon was the mother of English musician John Lennon, who was born during her marriage to Alfred Lennon. After complaints to Liverpool's Social Services by her eldest sister, Mimi Smith , she handed over the care of her son to her sister...
in 1938. John was their only child together, but as Alf was often away at sea during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he did not see much of his child during his infancy. During this period, Julia became pregnant with another man's child. Alf offered to look after his wife, their child and the expected baby, but Julia rejected the idea. Alf had very little contact with his son until Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
, when they met again, but later had only intermittent contact with each other. Alf died in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, where he had gone to live after marrying 19-year-old Pauline Jones.
The Lennon family
James Lennon (b.1829) and Jane McConville (b.1831), Alf's grandparents, moved with their respective families to Liverpool in the 1840s. James and Jane were both from County DownCounty Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and were married in St. Anthony's Chapel, Scotland Road
Scotland Road
Scotland Road or "Scottie Road" is the A59 and is situated near the docks in the Vauxhall area of north Liverpool, England.-History:Scotland Road was created in the 1770s as a turnpike road to Preston via Walton and Burscough. It became part of a stagecoach route to Scotland, hence its name...
, Liverpool, on 29 April 1849. James was a warehouseman and a cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
at the time. They had seven children together: Elizabeth (b.1850), James, John "Jack", William George, Richard Francis, Joseph (b.1865) and Edward. Jack Lennon (b. 1855), a shipping clerk/bookkeeper, the father of Alf Lennon and grandfather to John Winston Lennon.
In 1888, Jack married Margaret Cowley (from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
) and they had two children: Mary Elizabeth Lennon, and Michael Lennon. Margaret died giving birth to Michael (who also died 15 days later) on 19 August 1892. Shortly after, Jack began living with Mary "Polly" Maguire as man and wife. In total they had fifteen children, eight who died young. In 1901, Jack, Polly and his daughter, Mary, were living at 3 Lockhart Street, Liverpool. They lived in the Toxteth Park
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
area of Liverpool, and at least five of their children were born there: George Lennon (1905, in Denton Street), Herbert Lennon (1908), Sydney Lennon (1909), Harold Lennon (1911) and Alfred Lennon (1912) were born at 27 Copperfield Street.
Jack eventually married Polly in 1915, after they had moved to Elmore Street, Everton. One of the witnesses at the wedding was Polly's sister, Catherine Seddon. Daughter Edith Lennon was born that year and then Charles (21 November 1918—26 May 2002). The Lennons moved back to Toxteth Park, and Jack died in 1921, at 57 Copperfield Street. He is buried in a common and unmarked grave
Unmarked grave
The phrase unmarked grave has metaphorical meaning in the context of cultures that mark burial sites.As a figure of speech, a common meaning of the term "unmarked grave" is consignment to oblivion, i.e., an ignominious end. A grave monument is a sign of respect and fondness, erected with the...
(along with five unknown adults and three children) in the Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool. Polly could not read or write, but was reported to be very humorous and supposedly had psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
abilities. After Jack died, Polly did not have enough money to keep the whole Lennon family together, so she placed two of her children, Alf and Edith, in the Blue Coat School
Liverpool Blue Coat School
The Liverpool Blue Coat School is a voluntary aided secondary school located in Wavertree, Liverpool and is Liverpool's only Grammar School. The school was for many years a boys' school but as of September 2002 it has reverted to its original coeducational remit.The Blue Coat School holds a...
Orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
. It was situated just around the corner from Newcastle Road (where Julia Stanley lived). Polly died on 30 January 1949.
The urban legend
It has often been claimed that his grandfather was a professional singer, a ship's cook, and that he emigrated to the United States, and that his father, Jack Lennon, became a "refined" British minstrelMinstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
, who toured America with 'Roberton's Kentucky Minstrels' Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
troupe in the late 19th century. It is also claimed that Jack's first wife was an American, who died during childbirth after they had both moved back to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. This has been proven—by checking birth certificates, the 1861, 1871, and 1901 censuses—to be false.
Alfred Lennon
Alfred Lennon (always called 'Alf' by his family) was known as being happy-go-lucky, and "couldn't resist having a good time". Alf had ricketsRickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...
as a child and wore leg braces
Orthotics
Orthotics is a specialty within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses. An orthosis is an orthopedic device that supports or corrects the function of a limb or the torso...
, which led to his growth being stunted at 5'4". In 1927, he auditioned for a children's music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
act, Will Murray's Gang, at the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people...
. Having passed the audition he ran away from the orphanage and joined the show. He travelled with the troupe for a time before being discovered in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and returned to the orphanage, where he was severely punished. Alf was known as being always quick with a joke or a witty line, but never held a job for any length of time. When he was 15 years old he left the Bluecoat orphanage and found a job as an office-boy, but preferred to visit Liverpool's many vaudeville theatres and cinemas, where he knew the usherette
Usher (occupation)
Ushers assist visitors by formally showing the way in a large building or to their appropriate seats. This may coincide with a security role. The word comes from the French huissier, with the same meaning , ushers were servants or courtiers who showed or ushered visitors in and out of meetings in...
s by name. His brother Sydney often lent money to Alf, after Sydney got a job in a tailor's shop.
Julia Stanley
Camden Road
Camden Road is a main road running from the junction of Camden Town and Camden Town tube station up to Holloway Road....
, Liverpool. Although he did not speak to her at the time, he later saw Julia again in Sefton Park
Sefton Park
Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name within the Liverpool City Council Ward of Mossley Hill, and roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park...
, where he had gone with a friend to meet girls. Alf, who was dressed in a bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
and holding a cigarette holder
Cigarette holder
A cigarette holder is a fashion accessory, a slender tube in which a cigarette is held for smoking. Most frequently made of silver, jade or bakelite , cigarette holders were considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the mid-1910s through the early-1970s, and are still widely popular...
, saw "this little waif
Waif
A waif is a living creature removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance, from his original surroundings...
" sitting on a wrought-iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
bench. The 14-year-old Julia said that his hat looked "silly", to which the 15-year-old Alf replied that Julia looked "lovely", and sat down next to her. Julia asked him to take off his hat, so he promptly took it off and threw it straight into the lake.
Alf was a talented musician, and specialised in impersonating Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
. He played the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, as did Julia, though neither pursued music professionally (Julia would later teach her son how to play the banjo). They spent their days together walking around Liverpool and dreaming of what they would do in the future — like opening a shop, a pub, a cafe, or a club. In March 1930, he took a job as bellboy on board the Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
passenger liner SS Montrose. He kept in touch with Julia, writing to her and meeting her whenever he docked in Liverpool. He was later offered a job on a whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
ship for two years—which could have earned him enough money to buy a house—but turned it down when he found out that Julia's father had arranged the job, so as to keep Alf as far away from Julia as possible.
On 3 December 1938, 11 years after they had first met, Julia married Alf after proposing
Proposal of marriage
A marriage proposal is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement. It often has a ritual quality, sometimes involving the presentation of an engagement ring and a formalized asking of a question such as "Will...
to him. They were married in the Bolton Street Registry Office
Register office
A register office is a British term for a civil registry, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony...
, and Julia wrote 'cinema usherette' on the marriage certificate as her occupation, even though she had never been one. None of Julia's family were there, but Alf's brother Sydney acted as a witness. They spent their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
eating at 'Reece's' restaurant in Clayton Square (which is where his son would later celebrate after his marriage to Cynthia Powell
Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lillian Lennon is the former wife of musician John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. She grew up in the middle-class section of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Junior Art School, and was later enrolled in the...
), and then went to a cinema. On their wedding night, Julia stayed at the Stanleys' house and Alf went back to his rooming house.
Julia's family did not like Alfred at all: Julia's father said Alf was "certainly not middle class," and Julia's sister Mimi
Mimi Smith
Mary Elizabeth "Mimi" Smith was the maternal aunt and parental guardian of the English musician John Lennon. Mimi was born in Liverpool, England and was the oldest of five daughters. She became a resident trainee nurse at the Woolton Convalescent Hospital, and later worked as a private secretary...
was particularly opposed to him. Julia's father demanded that Alf present something concrete to show that he could financially support Julia, but Alf's only idea was to sign on as a Merchant Navy bellboy on a ship bound for the Mediterranean. He later worked on Ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s that travelled between the Greek islands, North Africa and The West Indies. Alf graduated from bellboy to steward during the months he was away, but when he arrived back in Liverpool he moved into the Stanley home in Newcastle Road. He auditioned for local theatre managers as a 'ship's entertainer', but had no success, and went back to sea.
John Lennon
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
air raid in World War II, although it has been confirmed there was no air raid on this date. Alf first saw his son that November when he returned from working as a merchant seaman
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
on troop transport
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
s during World War II. He sent regular pay cheques to Julia, who lived with her son at 9 Newcastle Road (the Stanley family's home). Alf occasionally went back to Liverpool, but did not stay long before he was sent off on another ship. The cheques to Julia stopped when Alf went absent without leave in 1943. Neither Julia nor the Merchant Navy knew of Alf's whereabouts. Julia only found out because she stopped receiving her allowance money, and the Navy wrote to her to inform her that they were looking for Alf.
Julia had started going out to dance halls
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in 1942, and met a Welsh soldier named 'Taffy' Williams who was stationed in the barracks at Mossley Hill
Mossley Hill
Mossley Hill is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. It is located to the south of the city, bordered by Aigburth, Wavertree, Childwall and Allerton. At the 2001 Census, the Mossley Hill ward had a population which was recorded at 12,650.-Notable...
. Alf blamed himself for this, as he had written letters telling Julia that because there was a war on, she should go out and enjoy herself. Julia took his advice, and often gave her young son a piece of chocolate or sugar pastry the next morning for breakfast that she had been given the night before. She became pregnant by Williams in late 1944, though first claiming that she had been rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by an unknown soldier.
When Alf eventually came home on 13 January 1945, he offered to look after Julia, their son and the expected baby, but Julia rejected the idea. Alf took John to his brother Sydney's house, in the Liverpool suburb of Maghull
Maghull
Maghull is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located eight miles north of the City of Liverpool and south of Ormskirk in West Lancashire. The area of Moss Side also contains HM Prison Kennet and Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a...
, a few months before the birth. The baby girl, Victoria, was subsequently given up for adoption (after intense pressure from Julia's father and family) to a Norwegian Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Captain. Julia later met Bobby Dykins and lived with him, but after considerable pressure from Mimi — who twice contacted Liverpool's Social Services and complained about the infant sleeping in the same bed as Julia and Dykins — Julia reluctantly handed the care of her son over to Mimi. According to his brother Charlie, people used to visit the Lennon house in Copperfield Street while Alf was away at sea, offering large sums of money (up to £300) if Alf would divorce Julia, but Charlie told them to "get lost".
In July 1946, Alf visited Mimi's house at 251 Menlove Avenue
251 Menlove Avenue
251 Menlove Avenue, named "Mendips", was the childhood home of John Lennon, singer and songwriter with the Beatles, and is now preserved by the National Trust....
and took his son to Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
for a long 'holiday'—but secretly intending to emigrate to New Zealand with him. Julia and Dykins found out and followed them to Blackpool, and after a heated argument Alf made the five-year-old boy choose between Julia or him. John chose Alf (twice) and then Julia walked away, but in the end John, crying, followed her. Alf lost contact with the family until Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
, when he and John met again. In 1968, John Lennon told Hunter Davies
Hunter Davies
Edward Hunter Davies is a prolific British author, journalist and broadcaster, perhaps best known for writing the only authorised biography of The Beatles.- Early life :...
that he soon forgot his father, saying, "It was like he was dead."
Later life
Alf later told his version of what happened while he was AWOL in 1943. He claimed that he had sailed from America to BôneBone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, but was arrested for stealing one bottle of beer from the ship, consequently serving nine days in a military prison. After his release he became involved in various "shady deals", and was supposedly rescued from a criminal gang of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s. He eventually served on a troopship from North Africa to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
before finally boarding a ship that was making its way to England, in 1944. In 1949, Alf's career at sea ended when he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. He had been drinking when, late at night, he saw a mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
in a wedding dress
Wedding dress
A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.- Western culture :...
in a shop window. He broke the window, picked up the mannequin, and danced with it in the street until he was arrested.
In 1958, when Alf was working with Charlie Lennon in The Barn Restaurant in Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, their brother Sydney sent a newspaper clipping from the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
reporting that Julia had died. A saddened Alf left Solihull for London, but kept in touch with Charlie by phone.
Alf made no real attempt to contact John again until the height of Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
(claiming he did not know who The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were). He was working as a kitchen porter at the Greyhound Hotel in Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, when someone pointed out a photograph of John Lennon in a newspaper and asked whether he was related to John. Alfred and Charlie visited one of The Beatles' Christmas shows at the Finsbury Park Empire
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
in London. When The Beatles were filming a scene for A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
in the Scala Theatre
Scala Theatre
The Scala Theatre was a theatre in London, sited on Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road, in the London Borough of Camden. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire...
in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
in April 1964, Alf walked into Brian Epstein's
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
NEMS office in Argyle Street
Argyle Street
Argyle Street is the name of a street in many cities and towns. Notable among these are:Australia*Argyle Street, the Rocks, Sydney*Argyle Street, Hobart, Tasmania*Argyle Street, Fitzroy, MelbourneCanada*Argyll Road, Edmonton...
with a journalist. "I'm John Lennon's father", he explained to the receptionist. When Epstein was informed, he "went into a panic", and immediately sent a car to bring John to NEMS office. Alf was shabbily dressed, with his unkempt, thinning grey hair greased back. He stuck out his hand, but John did not take it, saying "What do you want?". Alf placated John somewhat by saying, "You can't turn your back on your family, no matter what they've done." Their conversation did not last long, as John soon ordered Alf and the journalist out of the NEMS office. The Beatles' personal stories were kept out of the newspapers — by agreement with journalists who were offered exclusive stories in return — but one day John opened a copy of the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and saw a photo of his father.
A few weeks later, John's wife Cynthia
Cynthia Lennon
Cynthia Lillian Lennon is the former wife of musician John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. She grew up in the middle-class section of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Junior Art School, and was later enrolled in the...
opened the door of Kenwood
Kenwood, St. George's Hill
Kenwood is a house on the St. George's Hill estate, Weybridge, Surrey, England. Originally called the Brown House, it was designed by architect T.A. Allen, and built in 1913 by local builders, Love & Sons. The estate was constructed around the Weybridge Golf Club, which was designed in 1912 by...
(their home in Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
) to see a man who "looked like a tramp
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
" but, alarmingly, with John's face. Cynthia invited Alf in, and gave him tea and cheese on toast
Cheese on Toast
Cheese on toast is a snack made by placing cheese on slices of toasted bread and melting the cheese under a grill. It is a simple meal, popular in the United Kingdom.-Recipes:...
until John came home, which he was expected to do in an hour or so. While waiting, Cynthia offered to cut Alf's "long, stringy locks" of hair, which he allowed her to do. After waiting for a couple of hours, Alf left. John was annoyed when he came home, and told Cynthia (for the first time) about Alf's visit to the NEMS office a few weeks earlier. Later he relented slightly and contacted Alf over the next few months, telling Cynthia "Alright, Cyn. He's a bit 'wacky', like me." After Christmas, in 1965, John was embarrassed to hear that Alf had made a record: "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)
That's My Life (My Love And My Home)
That's My Life is a 1965 single by Alfred "Freddie" Lennon .-Track listing:All songs composed by Freddie Lennon and Tony Cartwright....
", released on 31 December 1965. John asked Epstein to do anything he could to stop it being released or becoming a hit. The record never made it into the charts. In 1966 "Freddie Lennon" (the name under which Alf recorded) tried again, and issued three singles with the group Loving Kind. These records did not sell well, either. Though the public at large quickly forgot these attempts to cash in on his son's success with The Beatles, the records do command fairly high prices among collectors of rare records, with "That's My Life" being worth over £50.
Pauline Jones
Three years after meeting John in the NEMS office, Alf (who was then 56 years old) turned up at Kenwood again, with his fiancee Pauline Jones. Pauline had been an 18-year-old Exeter University student and a Rolling Stones fan when she met the 54-year-old Alf in 1966. Alf and Pauline grew tired of trying to convince Pauline's mother to allow them to marry, so they eloped and were married in Gretna GreenGretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1966, Alf asked John if he could give Pauline a job, so Pauline was hired to help looking after Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon
John Charles Julian Lennon is an English musician, songwriter, actor, and photographer. He is the son of John Lennon and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Powell. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal...
and also the piles of fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
. Pauline spent a few months living at Kenwood in the attic bedroom. Alf and Pauline moved to a flat in Bourne Court, London Road, Patcham
Patcham
Patcham is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is approximately north of the city centre, bounded by the A27 to the north, Hollingbury to the east and southeast, Withdean to the south and the Brighton Main Line to the west...
(a suburb of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
) before moving to Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, in November 1969. Alf had two sons with Pauline: David Henry Lennon and Robin Francis Lennon.
Death
Late in his life, Alf wrote a manuscript detailing his life story which he bequeathed to John. It was Alf's attempt to fill in the lost years when he had not been in contact with his son, and to explain that it was Julia, and not Alf, who had broken up their marriage. John later commented: "You know, all he wanted was for me to hear his side of the story, which I hadn't heard." By 1976, Alfred had contracted terminal stomach cancerStomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
. Pauline contacted John via Apple Corps
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
to make sure that he knew that his father was dying. John sent a large bouquet of flowers to the hospital and phoned Alf on his deathbed, apologising for his (John's) past behaviour. In 1990, Pauline published a book called Daddy, Come Home, detailing her life with Alf and his meetings with John. Pauline later remarried, and is now known as Pauline Stone.
Song sample
"In My LifeIn My Life
"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney . The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. George Martin contributed the instrumental bridge...
" is John's song about his youth in Liverpool. Alf replied to this song by releasing the single, "That's My Life", b/w “The Next Time You Feel Important”, in 1965. (1965)