![]() ![]() Her mother, Annie Jane (née Millward), gave birth to a boy and then a girl, both of whom died shortly after birth. Julia Stanley, later known by the family as Judy, was born at 8 Head Street, Toxteth, South Liverpool in 1914, and was the fourth of five sisters. Biographer Ian MacDonald wrote that she was, "to a great extent . Lennon was traumatised by her death and wrote several songs about her, including "Julia" and "Mother". On 15 July 1958, she was struck down and killed by a car driven by an off-duty policeman, close to her sister's house at 251 Menlove Avenue. She kept in almost daily contact with Lennon, and when he was in his teens he often stayed overnight at her and Dykins' house. She taught her son how to play the banjo and ukulele, and bought his first acoustic guitar, even though her eldest sister strongly disapproved. She was known as being high-spirited and impulsive, musical, and having a strong sense of humour. She never divorced her husband, preferring to live as the common-law wife of Dykins for the rest of her life. She then had two daughters, Julia and Jackie, with John 'Bobby' Dykins. She later had one daughter after an affair with a Welsh soldier, but the baby was given up for adoption after pressure from her family. After complaints to Liverpool's Social Services by her eldest sister, Mimi Smith (née Stanley), she handed over the care of her son to her sister. It’s convenient to be able to blame your parents for your own shortcomings and failures in life.Julia Lennon (née Stanley 12 March 1914 – 15 July 1958) was the mother of English musician John Lennon, who was born during her marriage to Alfred Lennon. And it must be said that John himself did little to deny the myth. This is not to undermine the distress Lennon surely felt at the death of his mother but legend has invariably ‘blamed’ Julia’s ‘negligent’ mothering for the fact that John had problems throughout his life. Sadly in the days of wartime and inadequate medical knowledge, losing a parent was not uncommon. Paul McCartney had also lost his mother when he was only fourteen. When he was growing up, there were thousands of other children in Britain who had lost one or both parents and were being brought up by relatives. And yet he was born in the early stages of the Second World War. ![]() Legend tells us that John suffered greatly because he had been ‘abandoned’ by his mother. She didn’t live to see John become famous and she also didn’t live long enough to deny the accepted legend that she was a terrible,promiscuous woman who abandoned her son. She did not survive and died at the age of forty-four. Julia had been to see her sister Mimi – John was with his sisters at Julia’s home – and as she was crossing the road, was hit by a car. She also describes the events of her mother’s early death. The eldest, also called Julia, describes her childhood – and the extent to which her brother was involved – in her book. She and Alf never divorced and Julia found happiness with another man the couple had two daughters. She saw John whenever she could and pined for his constantly, despite the myth that John never saw his mother during his boyhood. It’s certainly the case that he went to live with his Aunt Mimi in a posh,Liverpool suburb, but the truth is that she wrenched him away from Julia (Mimi was childless). Most of us are familiar with the story of John’s upbringing.It has been widely reported that his mother ‘abandoned’ him and he was brought up by an aunt. Alf came home infrequently and at first, he sent money to support his wife and child but the money dried up, as did Alf’s visits. ![]() Julia was the mother of John Lennonīecause her family thought that he was a good-for-nothing, Alf signed up for the Merchant Navy working aboard ship as a steward. She didn’t tell her familyin advance because she knew they (particularly her father) would have objected.So she presented them with a fait accompli. Over ten years after they had first me, they were married. The girls’ father tried hard to maintain high standards,including that of his daughters’ morality. They remained friends for years despite the fact that her father didn’t approve of the lad.Īlf had been brought up in a children’s home and wasn’t seen as being a suitable companion. When Julia was fourteen, she met a boy of about her same age and they formed an immediate rapport. After the death of the girls’ mother, the father ruled over the household with an iron fist. She wasn’t from a wealthy family but they were not poor either. She was born as one of five sisters in Liverpool in 1914. What is the truth? Let’s look at the facts. But her life is surrounded by myths and legends.
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