February 19, 2008 10:26

Did John Lennon have a 'military past'?

Unearthed membership suggests young Beatle was Air Cadet

John Lennon was a member of the Air Training Corps in his teenage years, according to records which have just been unearthed.

The pacifist musician’s membership card was found at a Beatles memorabilia roadshow put on for the BBC programme The One Show.

The card clearly states the holder’s name as "Lennon, John Winston", and his address as "251 Menlove Avenue, Woolton".

Similarly, his next of kin is listed as "Mrs ME Smith (Aunt)", the Aunt Mimi who, for the most part, brought him up.

Firefighter Tom Mills has been in possession of the ATC membership records since the 1970s – however, the card has yet to be formally authenticated by an ATC historian.

Stephen Maycock, a rock and roll memorabilia expert, told BBC News: “I had no idea that Lennon was ever a member of the Corps. So this is adding a new piece of the jigsaw which as far as I’m aware no one’s ever heard before.”

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