Oxford Street,
Liverpool.
L7
The Birth of John Lennon at Oxford Street Maternity Hospital
On 9 October 1940, in the midst of the Second World War, Julia Lennon gave birth to John Winston Lennon in the second-floor ward of Oxford Street Maternity Hospital, near Abercromby Square in Liverpool.
John later looked back on his arrival with typical humour in his 1964 book In His Own Write:
"I was bored on the 9th of October 1940 when, I believe, the Nasties were still booming us, led by Madolf Heatlump (who only had one). Anyway they didn't get me."
When Julia's eldest sister, Mimi, phoned the hospital, she was told a healthy baby boy had been born. She later recalled rushing through the streets during what she believed was an air raid, sheltering in doorways to avoid falling shrapnel and running, as she put it, "as fast as my legs could carry me."
However, historical records tell a slightly different story. Despite Mimi's vivid memories, there was no Luftwaffe raid over Liverpool on the night John was born. The previous bombing had taken place on 21 September, while the next raid did not occur until 16 October 1940.
Even so, Liverpool was living under the constant threat of attack. As Britain's principal Atlantic port, it was a vital lifeline for supplies arriving through the convoy system. Across the River Mersey, Birkenhead played an equally important role in shipbuilding and naval repairs. Together, the Mersey waterfront became one of Germany's most important bombing targets outside London.
In that context, 9 October 1940 was a rare night of calm during a campaign that had begun in late August and would continue relentlessly throughout the rest of the year.
A Long Labour and a Famous Name
Julia had been in labour for almost 36 hours before her son finally arrived. He weighed 7½ pounds, with blonde hair, beautiful eyes and long eyelashes.
John's father, Alfred "Alf" Lennon, was not present at the birth. He was serving at sea aboard the Empress of Canada.
Alf did not return to Liverpool until 1 November 1940, by which time the city was already bearing the scars of the Blitz. Ten days later, he officially registered John's birth at Bolton Street Registry Office—the very same place where he and Julia had married in December 1938.
There has long been some debate over how John received his name. Some believe Aunt Mimi suggested "John," although Alf is generally thought to have had the final say. According to family tradition, John was named after his paternal grandfather, John "Jack" Lennon, while his middle name, Winston, honoured Britain's wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, whom Julia greatly admired.
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| Announcement of John's birth in the Liverpool Echo |
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| Copy of John's birth certificate |
Liverpool During the Blitz
Churchill himself visited Liverpool on 25 April 1941, standing outside the Adelphi Hotel to boost morale just days before the city's darkest period.
The night of 3–4 May 1941 became Liverpool's worst of the war. Between 10.00 pm and 3.40 am, almost 300 German aircraft attacked the city.
Among the buildings destroyed were the much-loved Lewis's Department Store and Blacklers, after incendiary bombs spread devastating fires through the city centre. Once rebuilt, both shops would feature in the early Beatles' story. Entire streets were reduced to rubble, including buildings around Lime Street and Great Charlotte Street.
Much of Liverpool city centre had to be rebuilt after the war, forever changing the appearance of Lime Street and its surrounding streets.
One of Lime Street's most notable landmarks, The Vines—better known as The Big House— remained unscathed. It held special significance for the Lennon family, as Julia and Alf had toasted their wedding there.
Oxford Street Maternity Hospital – "The Stork's Nest"
Oxford Street Maternity Hospital had a proud history long before John Lennon was born there.
Its origins can be traced back to 1796, when a group of charitable Liverpool women established an organisation to provide medical care and childbirth assistance for 'reputable married women and widows resident in the town.' Rather than operating from a hospital, doctors and midwives visited mothers in their own homes.
Over the following decades, these services evolved alongside Liverpool's own Lying-In Hospital before the overlapping capabilities were combined to form the Brownlow Hill Lying-In Hospital in 1884.
Liverpool was officially granted city status in 1880, although its population and urban scale had been commensurate with those of a major city for at least the preceding fifty years. By 1881, the population had reached 611,000, creating a pressing need for expanded and improved public services. In response to these demands, the Lying-In Hospital underwent a process of modernisation, relocation, and renaming, ultimately becoming the Liverpool Maternity Hospital. The new institution opened on Oxford Street in 1926 and was, at the time, the largest voluntary maternity hospital in Britain
A Personal Connection
Oxford Street Hospital is part of my own family history too.
I was bored there in January 1971. They didn't get me either.
Three years later, my sister was born in the same hospital. One of my earliest memories is walking into the ward with my dad to meet Mum and my new baby sister. While researching the hospital's history, I came across a photograph taken in 1927, and it instantly took me back. The scene looked so much like the one I remembered from childhood.
I imagine thousands of Liverpudlians have memories just like that—walking through the doors on Oxford Street to welcome a new brother or sister into the world.
More Than One Historic Birth
Oxford Street made international headlines again on 18 November 1983, when Janet Walton gave birth to the world's first surviving all-girl sextuplets.
Hannah, Lucy, Ruth, Sarah, Kate and Jennifer Walton became famous overnight, with parents Graham and Janet suddenly finding themselves at the centre of worldwide media attention.
Judging by contemporary photographs, Graham already looked like a man contemplating life as seventh in line for the bathroom!
A Lasting Legacy
Today, a plaque marking John Lennon's birthplace can be found beside the entrance to the former hospital.
Oxford Street Maternity Hospital closed in 1995 following the merger of Liverpool's maternity services with the Women's Hospital on Catharine Street and Mill Road Maternity Hospital. The building has since been converted into student accommodation as part of the University campus.
I returned to my birthplace in 2012, exactly 41 years and four days after I was born. John's commemorative plaque is proudly displayed beside the entrance. As yet, neither I nor the Walton sextuplets have received one!
Today, Liverpool's babies are born at the modern Liverpool Women's Hospital on Crown Street. It's also where my own children entered the world, continuing another generation of Liverpudlians.
Who knows? Perhaps one of them will one day become as famous as John Lennon—or even Winston Churchill.
Very cool! I too was born in this building, 8 years and 364 days before you! And, like you, I am also still waiting for my plaque ;-)
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