Jack Lennon & Polly Maguire © S. Burnett

When Jack died in 1921 his son Alfred Lennon was seven years old. Alfred was raised in a local orphanage. At the age of 14 he ran away from the orphanage and joined 'Will Murray's Gang', a popular children's troupe. He was soon caught and returned to the orphanage.

Alfred grew up to be a very handsome young man, and when the time came to leave the orphanage he found work on board the old liners of the 1930s. Alfred would occasionally black-up to do a very impressive impersonation of Al Jolson.

In 1930 while walking through a park in Liverpool he met the attractive and bubbly Julia Stanley. "I was sitting in Sefton Park with a mate who was showing me how to pick up girls … There was this little waif that we had an eye on. As I walked past her, she said: 'You look silly'. I said: 'You look lovely!' and I sat down beside her."

Alfred and Julia hit it off from the beginning. They were carefree and had great fun together. Alfred spent a lot of time at Julia's parents' home and was liked by the family. Stanley Parkes, John's cousin, remembers the cheery Alf with affection. "Alf and Julia used to walk me out in my pram as an excuse to go out courting together in Sefton Park, Princess Park and Calderstones Park in Liverpool." Although Alfred was flat broke at the time, eight years after they first met, they decided to get married and the wedding took place at the Bolton Street Registry Office on 3 December 1938. "I said we had to put up the banns and get married properly. She said: 'I bet you won't!' So I did - just for a joke. It was all a big laugh getting married." Within a few days Alfred joined the crew of a Mediterranean cruise liner. On his return, he and Julia moved in to their new home in the Penny Lane district of Liverpool with Julia's parents.

In wartime children were evacuated to safety away from urban bomb targets, the subject of this drawing by Cynthia Lennon.

The Liverpool docklands were a primary target for Germany's Luftwaffe. Air raids were commonplace and sirens wailed warning of an attack on 9 October, 1940 as Julia Lennon gave birth to John Lennon. Night after night German bombs rained down on Liverpool and often Julia, her newborn baby and her family took refuge in a nearby makeshift bomb shelter. Mimi: "I knew the moment I first set eyes on John that he was going to be something special."

Alfred was rarely home as he was often at sea with the merchant navy.

In a communal spirit that can only exist in time of war, civilians and servicemen drank, sang, danced and made merry. Often Julia joined them, sometimes leaving the young John Lennon in the care of her unmarried sister Anne (Nanny) who was happy to baby-sit.

Julia Lennon with her son John. © S. Parkes

Julia returned to her parent's house in Penny Lane in 1943. On 14 July, Alfred sailed for New York but for whatever reason missed the return sailing and was subsequently posted AWOL. The first Julia knew of this was when her money was stopped and she was told by the authorities that they were looking for him. Nothing was heard from Alfred until he reappeared at the end of 1944.

The story goes that during this time Alfred had sailed from America to North Africa, was arrested by a shore patrol for drinking beer that had not been issued by the ship, and served nine days in a gruesome military prison. On his release, broke and alone, he became involved in mysterious shady dealings and at one point was rescued from a criminal gang of Arabs. He eventually served on a ship ferrying troops from North Africa to Italy and from there he secured passage on a ship making its way to England.

Merchant seaman Alfred Lennon served aboard troop ships in wartime

During this period, Julia and her baby were kept by her father and sister Anne. On Alfred's return, Julia's father asked him how he thought his wife and child had been faring and Alfred replied: "I knew she had you." Julia told her husband to get lost and their marriage was to end soon afterwards.

In the spring of 1944 Julia met a Welsh soldier by the name of Taffy Williams. They saw each other regularly for six months until Julia discovered she was pregnant with his child. Taffy wanted Julia to come and live with him but wasn't willing to take John. Julia wouldn't abandon her son and the lovers parted.

So Alfred Lennon returned to Liverpool after an absence of 18 months to discover his wife was carrying another man's baby. His brother Charles recalled: "He told me that he had come home and found her six weeks gone but not showing. Alfred decided to take John to my other brother, Sydney, in Maghull. Never at any time did he want Julia's sister, Mary [Mimi], to have control over John."

Julia's father, George Stanley, demanded that Julia give up the expected baby or leave his house. This was the way things were in those days. Julia finally agreed - she had no choice. Victoria, born on 19 June 1945, was adopted into the family of a Norwegian sea captain. Julia's sister Anne recalled: "She was a beautiful baby but we never knew who the father was … One day a Salvation Army Captain came and took the baby away. That was the last we saw of her."

The young John Lennon © S.Burnett

Alfred had hoped that he, Julia and their infant John could make a fresh start, but a man who could offer her a considerably better life than she was accustomed to with Alfred was soon courting Julia.

John 'Bobby' Dykins began spending a good deal of time visiting Julia. But John didn't take to him at first and showed that he was very unhappy about a new man hanging around the house. He became angry and rough, sometimes attacking smaller children. In April 1946, at the age of five and a half John was expelled from kindergarten for misbehaviour. In time the relationship between John and 'Bobby' got better.

Time and again John ran away from home to make his way to his Aunt Mimi's house, sometimes getting lost on route. On one occasion Mimi phoned Alfred to tell him of his son's plight. Although on the eve of a sailing on the Queen Mary, Alfred dropped everything and dashed to Mimi's house. Alfred announced he was taking his son on a holiday. Father and son left for the popular coastal resort of Blackpool with Alfred harbouring the secret intention of never going back. His plan was to emigrate to Australia or New Zealand. But Julia arrived without warning, desperate to confront Alfred. The ensuing argument ended with their son being asked to choose between them. Alfred remembers: "He runs out and jumps on my knee, asking if she's coming back. That's obviously what he wanted. I said no, he had to decide whether to stay with me or go with her … John ran after her. That was the last I saw or heard of him until I was told he'd become a Beatle." John Lennon chose to be with his mother.

Julia and 'Bobby' Dykins set up home together in a small flat in Gateacre where John joined them. 'Bobby' was happy to accept John as part of the package. However, once again Julia's sister Mimi demonstrated her determined and forceful personality. She didn't feel that the accommodation was good enough for John and she subsequently turned up with a social worker and John's grandfather in tow. Initially the social worker felt it was in John's best interests to be with his mother, but when it was pointed out to her that the flat only had one bedroom, she handed John to his grandfather, who promptly handed him to Mimi!

John was raised by his Aunt Mimi. © S. Parke

Alfred Lennon went back to sea. He worked continuously for a year and a half. With thoughts of reclaiming John he came ashore but got drunk, was arrested and imprisoned. His conviction barred him from returning to sea and at age thirty-two he virtually became a vagabond, drifting around the UK and mostly working in hotel kitchens.

Alfred wouldn't re-enter John's life until his son gained fame as the founder member of the Beatles. John said: "I soon forgot my father, it was like he was dead."

However he said of Julia: "I did see my mother now and again, and my feeling never died off for her. I often thought of her … She [Mimi] said she was a long, long way away." In fact Julia lived a mere three miles away.

John Lennon's early years in primary school were troubled. Often other kids were scared off by his threatening manner. One kid stood up to John's bullying and they became friends for life. Pete Shotton was eight years old, a year younger than John. In response to a threat from John, Pete replied: "You'll have to catch me first." After a short pause both boys burst into laughter. Pete says of John: "I have never met a personality as strong and individualist as John's, he always had to have a partner."