Following in The Beatles Early Footsteps - Pt 2 The School Years
Those of you who have read Pt 1 of Following in the Beatles Footsteps, will already know that none of the Fab Four had a privileged background, but for the main part it didn’t stop them having the opportunity of a decent education.
State School education in England basically requires children to attend Primary School between the ages of 5 and 11, after which they attend Senior School until the age of 16. At the time John, Paul, George and Ringo were growing up, an exam called the 11 Plus was used to decide whether a pupil continued their senior education in the standard Secondary Modern School, or if they were bright enough to attend Grammar School. Surprisingly, three of the four passed the 11 Plus, the exception being Ringo.
The system was meant to give everyone an equal chance in life whatever their background, but Ringo was always at a disadvantage. John, Paul and George all lived in the suburbs of South Liverpool, but Ringo lived in a rough area nearer to the city centre called the Dingle. During his years at St. Silas Primary, he was absent much of the time through ill health – and even when he was able to go to school, he was more interested in skiving off, and didn’t even get to take the exam. He was allocated a place at Dingle Vale Secondary School, but once again, he was in hospital more than he was at school. When he went back there for a job reference, nobody could even remember who he was.
Ringo never joined up with the other three until The Beatles had been established, and it was John who was the initial driving force behind their musical career.
John went to school at Dovedale Road Primary near Penny Lane, and after being adopted by his mother’s sister, Aunt Mimi and her husband George, he went to live with them at Mendips in Menlove Avenue, Woolton. His new parents offered him a loving home, but Mimi could also be quite a strict disciplinarian. Even so, she recognised that she couldn’t change the personality that he was born with, and his headmaster must have thought the same: “John was as sharp as a needle, but wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want to”. There’s no doubt he was a bit of a rebel, but between them they managed to help him scrape through the 11 Plus.
He progressed to Quarry Bank High School where his free spirit completely took over. His academic aspirations (if he ever had any) became practically non-existent, and was more interested in music than maths. When the time came to take his ‘O’ Level exams, instead of swotting up, he was to be found hanging around in a gang and listening to Rock n’ Roll music instead. Needless to say, he flunked the lot.
In Paul’s early years, the situation regarding music was quite different from John’s. His dad, Jim, was not only a musician himself, he actively encouraged Paul and his younger brother Mike, to learn to play a musical instrument, but neither of them wanted to know.
Both Jim and Paul’s mother, Mary, were keen to find somewhere decent to bring up the family, and moved home several times before arriving at Speke in time for Paul to start school at Stockton Wood Primary. Speke is a large council estate on the outskirts of South Liverpool near the airport, and there was plenty of work to be found for Mary as a midwife, but not so much for Jim, and his mother became the main wage earner. When Paul’s school became overcrowded, he was sent to Joseph Williams Primary School at Gateacre, where his stable upbringing and academic abilities enabled him to pass the 11 Plus with ease.
He was given a place at the city’s best known grammar school, the Liverpool Institute, where he became less interested in schoolwork and more interested in becoming a teenager. At the age of 13 the family moved again, this time to Forthlin Road in Allerton, but within a year, Paul’s mother had died of breast cancer aged just 45.
Needless to say, it hit Jim and the boys hard, and if you listen to the words of Let it Be, recorded at the time The Beatles were breaking up, it strikes me that Paul is reaching out to his mother for someone to lean on.
Mary’s death came about suddenly, and Jim found it difficult to become a mother as well as a father, and even though money was tight, it sounds as though he did a pretty good job of trying to keep the boys on the straight and narrow during their early teenage years.
Like most teenage boys, Paul became more interested in girls and music than Latin and history, and subconsciously at least, he began to replace his mother’s presence with that of a guitar. Fortunately for Paul, his father didn’t disapprove, unlike Mimi did with John.
His academic studies took a back seat in favour of his love for Rock n’ Roll, but he was still a good student when he wanted to be, and not a rebel like John had become. On the bus to school one day, he struck up a conversation with another lad who was also going to the Liverpool Institute – George Harrison.
George was the youngest of Harold and Louise Harrison’s four children, and living in Wavertree, it meant that he started school at Dovedale Road Primary, the same school as John. They never met, as George was two years younger than John. The family managed to move out of their cramped terrace house in Arnold Grove and went to live in Speke, but George still continued at Dovedale Road School where he proved to be a bright kid, or at least bright enough to pass the 11 Plus.
At Senior School, it didn’t take long for George to become a rebel, but unlike John who enjoyed fighting and causing trouble, he managed to upset the teachers by wearing unconventional clothes and growing long hair. Towards the end of his school days, he and the teachers compromised. He wouldn’t upset them if they left him alone to go to sleep at the back of the class.
Ringo, John, Paul and George had all been born during the Second World War, and Liverpool, being a port, had been heavily bombed. When the war was over there was a sense of a brighter future without the constraints that war can bring.
In America, things had already started to change with Rock n’ Roll becoming the choice of music for young people, who also wore a new style of Teddy Boy clothes. Artists like Bill Hayley and Elvis Presley had a big influence on British teenagers including The Beatles, who included songs like Little Richard’s Long Tall Sally in their early music.
For cash-strapped British teenagers who could only dream of buying a new musical instrument, there was another craze starting to take off – Skiffle. People like Lonnie Donegan showed youngsters that music could be made with very little skill and even less money. Around March 1957, at the age of 16, and much to Mimi’s disappointment, John formed a band called The Quarrymen: “A guitar’s all right John”, Mimi once said, “but you’ll never make a living out of it”. In the next post I’ll be describing exactly who The Quarrymen were and how they morphed into The Beatles.
ORIGINAL POST – NOVEMBER 2021
LATEST UPDATE – DECEMBER 2021
Originally posted 2021-11-06 16:25:29.
PUHEW…. At last a post I’ve not read…….. And a damn interesting one too.
I was a big fan of The Beatles as you can probably tell
Goodness, they cahnged the music world at that point. I don’t know if i said but Elvis was banned in our house. We had to lsiten to Doris Day and co and then my sister came home from working away all summer and put on this ep single of Twist and Shout and said, listen to this,. And I did for the 15 secs it took the mum to come down the stairs and yank it off.
LOL. I can almost sympathise with our parents now 🤣
They were just a diff generation. obvi I loved the Glenn Miller the Billie Holliday, the various big bands and all they played. I still do. But alas the various musicals and Doris deadwood staging it everywhere>>?? No.
Singers like Guy Mitchell and Frankie Lane were ok though.
Frankie Laine had some voice actually. We had piles of his 78s too
I Believe, Rawhide – and not forgetting Champion the Wonder Horse.
Oh my goodness. There was a Champion the Wonder Horse kids’ ride at the door of what used to be Dundee’s Arcade. It sat on a set of cpvered steps leading down to Castle street, the arcade being s under the Caird Hall. What a place that was. By arcade, I mean a place that sold everything off of tables. No Sat morning was complete without a visit there and a ride on Champion.
That brought back a few memories then!
Oh yeah more ways than one. I still got various old 78s, including a Buddy Holly which I reckon came in a pile from my dad’s half bros…certainly it was not Mum and Dad’s. AND I also have the means to play them all too. There is a Frankie Lane in there. When they shut the Arcade here they offered the traders two custom built places places, both of which have gone to the wall. But a guy from Dundee who mounts theatrical and music performances all over the world has taken over one of them and put a small theatre into a former basic retail unit and we that is the one we are going into ina few weeks to perform. So I guess that is a squaed circle.
That’s incredible!
A Very interesting an personalized composition and history.. A lot of information that I never knew. I hope that your having a good wholesome week.🎶💕🎶
Thanks AOC. I’m having my morning coffee as we speak, so I’ll raise my cup to you ☕
Good to know even though we are at opposite time zones. I live my coffee with the deep dark richness of the best beans, cream and harmonious sounds from nature.🎶🐓🍮🍮♥️🦌🍂🐿
Another fascinating insight into the band, Malc. Please don’t feel bad about this at all, but I have to admit I read the second half with tears streaming down my face. Whilst I’ve never been a fan, feeling as I did when I was a teenager that their music was dated and old fashioned, I was once engaged to a hairy biker called Mark who was a big fan, and their music formed part of the soundtrack to our relationship. When I was eighteen Mark’s younger brother was killed in an accident on his bike as he was on his way home from his sixth form interview. He was just 17. The world fell apart, and I still can’t listen to Let it Be without crying, as that was the song that they played at Jim’s funeral. I guess, as it’s such a distinct sound and I only associate it with those years with Mark, as soon as I hear the song I’m back there at the church sitting beside Jim’s coffin, trying to process what on Earth was happening. But it was my choice to listen to it, and as you can probably imagine, the circumstances of the song’s creation – which I hadn’t known about – struck quite a chord. Ironically, Let it Be is the only song of the Beatles that I actually lliked, and even now when I come across it, I always make myself listen to it, becaused although it provokes the same reaction every time I find it oddly cathartic. When all’s said and done, I suppose that’s the mark of a good song.
In any case, I’ve learned loads through your tour through the Beatles’ history, and you’ve made it as engaging and interesting as ever. A great read. 😀
I’m truly sorry that this post brought back bad memories for you Alli. I know what you mean about reliving sad times though, and I suppose it’s all part of the healing process. The way I look at it, is that if we didn’t have bad times, how would we be able to appreciate the good ones? 😊
Looking back over the Beatles teenage years I can see similarities with my own and I even joined a band as well, which lasted all of 5 minutes. Perhaps the name didn’t help – don’t ask! Anyway, thanks for sticking with it, and of course your lovely comments about the post in general 😊
I always enjoy your posts, Malc, whatever you are writing about. I often feel as though we’re sitting in a pub and having a good chat over a glass of something alcoholic when I’m reading through your blogs, and that should tell you how engagingly you write.
Regarding reliving the bad times, you’re absolutely right. Everything in life is relative, and there has to be a balance or we’re in danger of losing perspective. Let it Be never fails to take me straight back to that tragic time (the title is even inscribed on Jim’s headstone) and my years with Mark. I’ve realised over the last 24 hours that I have compartmentalised the Beatles’ music in my mind and filed it along with that particular time in my life, and that I will always involuntarily react in the same way when I hear that particular song. But I also realise now that it was a major part of my life – albeit a heartbreaking one – and it represents exactly what you say. We all go through real highs and lows as we make our way along life’s path, and we shouldn’t shut away or deny such feelings and memories because they’re par of who we are. Thank you for reminding me of that. 🙂
Your first paragraph has made my day again. Thank you so much Alli. I guarantee that if we were ever to meet up over a glass of something somewhere, I would make sure that the tears rolling down your cheeks would be tears of laughter and not sadness 😊
Now that you’ve explained the connection between The Beatles and that episode in your life, I can understand why they’re not at the top of your list of favourite artists. In a way though I hope by talking about it you may not hold quite such a grudge against them from now on.
Some of the best composers, authors and film producers have the ability to make you laugh one minute and cry the next. That’s what makes them so special. I’ve still got more to write before I finish my posts about The Beatles, so I hope that you can start to see them in a different light now that you’ve got that monkey off your back (Am I allowed to say that these days? 😊).
Finally, I’d like to say how chuffed I am that you felt you could talk to me in a way that you might not be able to with everyone. Like I said, you’ve made my day. Take care 😊
I’m sure that day of laughter and stories in the pub will come, Malc, and until then, I’m chuffed to bits too that I’ve made your day twice! 😀
🙂
An enjoyable read. I was at school with Zak Starkey, Ringo’s son, he was in the year below me and I didn’t really know him
That’s good enough for me. I can now say that I’ve got a virtual friend that went to the same school as Ringo Starr’s son 😊
Same school, same time. 😀
To be honest I was never really into the Beatles, I could take them or leave them – though my mum did take me to see Hard Days Night and Help at the cinema while I was still at primary school. This is a very interesting post though (I read the first one) so I’m looking forward to Part 3 now 🙂
Thanks for reading these posts anyway Eunice. I have to confess that I didn’t think much of their films, but I loved the music, and part 3 will start to bring things together. I hope you enjoy reading it 🙂
A fab post on the Fab Four
I loved every word of what you wrote🙏🙏🙏
Thank you so much Luisa. That means a lot 🙂
🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏
Brought back good memories of our recent visit to Liverpool and added a few facts that I hadn’t picked up there. You’ve done a great job of providing the social history context to the development of the band – excellent stuff!
Thanks again Sarah. I try to put things into context so that it all makes sense – if only to me 🙂
A fab post on the lads for sure Malc! As a lifelong fan I loved it! A lot of details I did not know of those years is very welcome for me. And the photos you found are very interesting. By the by this is my new site…take good care my friend and a lovely Sunday to you,
Francesc.
Thanks Francesc and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I could sense that were about to change things, so I naturally wish you all the best with it
Enjoyed it very much! I enjoy everything that has to do with The Beatles! Thank you my friend, I’ve a different approach for the new site.
I’m looking forward to it and you can rest assured that I shall be following it as soon as I am able.
Thank you 😊 Malc and happy Sunday to you!
Thanks Francesc. You too 🙂
interesting to read about their family backgrounds and school careers.
Thanks Don. Glad you enjoyed it.
Love the series to date. Anxious for the next installment.
Thanks Pat. The best things come to those who wait 🙂