John At Art College


John had started Art College in 1957. The new headmaster, Mr. Pobjoy, had put in a good word for him to get in. A lot of parents thought John was a bad influence for their children. He used to ignore Mimi, run away, and he dressed however he pleased.

John wanted to be an illustrator, but he ended up into lettering. Even though he failed all the exams, he stayed with the art because he didn't want to work. Julia, John's mother, approved of what John decided to do, unlike Mimi who threw away John's drawings when she found them.

The Death of John's Mother, Julia

On the weekend John was staying with Julia and her husband, she didn't come home. A police officer came to their house, saying there was an accident. They took a cab to the Sefton General where Julia was lying dead. The accident had happened in front of Mimi's house.

Mimi used to walk Julia to the bus stop, but this time Julia had left early. Mimi heard tires screeching, so she ran outside. Julia had been hit by a car, and died.

Pete Shotton, John's friend, said the death of his mother had a great affect on him, but John never showed it. He never talked about Julia or how he felt. John was always with the guys in the band, and they helped each other out. Other children at the Art School thought Julia's death made John worse, that he wasnt interested in other people's feelings as much.

After The Death Of His Mother


John never had any money, and he used to borrow money from everyone constantly. He was mean to people, scaring them on the street. He had disrespect for everything. Mimi was very strict with John, she wouldn't let him go anywhere.

While John was at the Art College, he met two new people, Stuart Sutcliffe and Cynthia Powell, his future wife. Stuart and John became friends right away. Stuart liked John's presense and John liked Stuart's talent for art, which was better than his. Stuart couldn't play an instrument and didn't know too much about pop music, but he loved to hear John and his band play at the Art College.

Cynthia Powell


John met Cynthia Powell at the Art College. Thelma Pickles, a friend of John's couldn't understand what he saw in her because she was quiet. Cynthia was in the same year as John, and they both took lettering. For over a year, they took no notice to each other. She was a very shy and respectful person, while John was not. Cynthia's first impression of him wasn't a good one.

Their first conversation happened in lettering class. From then on Cynthia tried every possible way to talk to him, she even sat next to him in class. The only thing was, Cynthia had been going out with another boy for three years and they were planning to get engaged. Cynthia and John spent a lot of time together, but she was afraid of him because he was rough. They fought all the time.

John became jealous of everyone Cynthia hung out with. He demanded trust from her, and he took his frustrations out on her. Cynthia wasn't in a hurry for John to meet her mother. He wasn't too polite and his appearance wasn't too impressive. The teachers warned her about him, and her grades were slipping. John, who was either drunk or fighting, hit Cynthia once. She hoped John would change, and blamed his past, his home, Mimi, and the College.