47 Facts About Julia Lennon

Julia Lennon was the mother of English musician John Lennon, who was born during her marriage to Alfred Lennon.

Julia Lennon later had one daughter after an affair with a Welsh soldier, but pressure from her family made her place the baby for adoption.

Julia Lennon never divorced her husband, preferring to live as Dykins' common-law wife for the rest of her life.

Julia Lennon was known as being high-spirited, impulsive, and musical, and for having a strong sense of humour.

Julia Lennon taught her son John how to play the banjo and the ukulele.

Julia Lennon kept in almost daily contact with him, and when he was in his teens he often stayed overnight at her and Dykins' house.

Julia Lennon Stanley, later known by her family as Judy, was born at 8 Head Street, Toxteth, South Liverpool in 1914, and was the fourth of five sisters.

Julia Lennon's mother died in 1945, and Julia Lennon and her oldest sister Mimi had to take care of their father.

Julia Lennon saw her again in Sefton Park, where he had gone with a friend to meet girls.

Julia Lennon, who was dressed in a bowler hat and with a cigarette holder in hand, saw "this little waif" sitting on a wrought-iron bench.

Julia Lennon asked him to take off his hat, so he promptly threw it straight into the Sefton Park lake.

Julia Lennon was always well-dressed and even went to bed with make-up on to "look beautiful when she woke up".

Julia Lennon frequented Liverpool's dance halls and clubs where she was often asked to dance in jitterbug competitions with dockers, soldiers, sailors, and waiters.

Julia Lennon's voice sounded similar to Vera Lynn's, whilst Lennon specialised in impersonating Louis Armstrong and Al Jolson.

Julia Lennon played the ukulele, the piano accordion, and the banjo, although neither pursued music professionally.

On 3 December 1938,11 years after they first met, she married Alf Julia Lennon after proposing to him.

Julia Lennon wrote 'cinema usherette' as her occupation on the marriage certificate, although she had never been one.

Julia Lennon's father demanded that he present something concrete to show that he could financially support his daughter, but Alf signed on as a Merchant Navy steward on a ship bound for the Mediterranean.

Julia Lennon returned after a few months at sea and moved into the Stanley home.

Julia Lennon auditioned for local theatre managers as an entertainer but had no success.

Julia Lennon found out that she was pregnant in January 1940, but as the war had started her husband continued to serve as a merchant seaman during World War II, sending money home regularly.

Alf asked Julia Lennon to go with them both to New Zealand, but she refused.

Julia Lennon chose Alf twice, so Julia walked away, but in the end her son, crying, followed her, although this story has been disputed.

Julia Lennon took John back to her house and enrolled him in a local school, but after a few weeks she handed him back to Smith.

Julia Lennon's banjo was the first instrument that John learned to play 'sitting there with endless patience until I managed to work out all the chords.

Julia Lennon played him Elvis Presley records and would dance around her kitchen with him.

In 1957, when The Quarrymen played at St Barnabas Hall, Penny Lane, Julia Lennon turned up to watch.

Alf took John to his brother Sydney's house in the Liverpool suburb of Maghull a few months before Julia Lennon came to term.

Julia Lennon's daughter, Victoria Elizabeth, born in the Elmswood Nursing Home on 19 June 1945, was given up for adoption to a Norwegian Salvation Army Captain and his wife after intense pressure from the Stanley family.

John Julia Lennon was informed by his aunt Harriet Birch of her existence in 1964.

Julia Lennon started seeing Dykins a year after Victoria's birth when she was working in the cafe near John's primary school, Mosspits.

Julia Lennon later moved into a small flat in Gateacre with Dykins.

Julia Lennon enjoyed luxuries, and had access to rationed goods like alcohol, chocolate, silk stockings and cigarettes, which was what initially attracted her.

Paul McCartney later stated that Julia Lennon living in sin with Dykins while she was still married was a point of social ostracization for John, as it was often used as a "cheap shot" against him.

Julia Lennon wanted John to live with them both, but he was passed between the Stanley sisters and often ran away to Mimi's, where she would open the door to find John standing there, "his face covered in tears".

Julia Lennon's cooking methods were haphazard, as she would mix things "like a mad scientist", and even put tea "or anything else that came to hand" in a stew.

When Julia Lennon was 11 years old, he started to visit the Dykins' house, and often stayed overnight.

Young Julia Lennon would give up her bed to him, then share her sister's bed.

Baird remembered that after Julia Lennon had visited them, their mother would often play a record called, My Son John, To Me You Are So Wonderful, "by some old crooner, and sit and listen to it".

Julia Lennon visited Mimi nearly every day, where they would chat over tea and cakes in the morning room or stand in the garden when it was warm.

Julia Lennon ran back to get Mimi and they waited for the ambulance, with Mimi crying hysterically.

Julia Lennon was struck and killed by a Standard Vanguard car, driven by an off-duty constable, PC Eric Clague, who was a learner-driver.

Julia Lennon refused to talk to Walley for months afterwards, and Walley felt that John somehow held him responsible.

Julia Lennon's memory inspired songs such as the 1968 Beatles song "Julia", with its dreamlike imagery of "hair of floating sky glimmering", recalling John's boyhood memories of his mother.

Julia Lennon remarked that the song "was sort of a combination of Yoko [Ono] and my mother blended into one".

Julia Lennon commented that he had to teach John the guitar chords since John would just play the ukulele chords that his mother had taught him on guitar.

Julia Lennon was portrayed by Christine Kavanagh in In His Life: The John Lennon Story, and by Anne-Marie Duff in Nowhere Boy.