Heading to Switzerland

 

Sound & Vision

 Cynthia and her husband Noel Charles went to Abbey Road's Sound & Vision event behalf of Cancer Research UK on February 26, 2009 in London. Rod Davies from The Quarrymen, Bob Harris, Mike McCartney and his son Joshua, George and Judy Martin, their son Giles, Joe Brown, Lemar, Kelly Jones, Paul Weller, Peter Blake and his wife Chrissey, Diana Jones, Stephen Webster and his wife Anastasia were also there.

Book Supporters

Cynthia, George Martin, his wife Judy Martin, and Julian at her book John launch party at Fitzroy Square on September 27, 2005 in London.

Lounging By the Pool

 Photographed by Paul McCartney

Arm Link

 

Judy in the Middle

 

Fifth Beatle Wives

Let's look into the "5th Beatle" wives. Cynthia had a friendship with all of them... except for George Martin's first wife Sheena as I think she's been out of the picture beforehand.

Suzy (with Neil) with Ringo Starr and Maureen Starkey at the premiere of Yellow Submarine at the London Pavilion on July 17, 1968

Neil Aspinall was born on December 13, 1941 in Prestatyn, North Wales; he attended Liverpool Institute with Paul and George, next door was Liverpool College of Art where John, Cynthia, and Stuart Sutcliffe attended. He lived at Mona Best’s family home where she ran the Casbah Coffee Club where the Beatles played often, Neal drove the Beatles’ around to their gigs in England becoming their road manager. In 1970, The Beatles’ broke up and Neal was the head Managing Director for Apple, the Beatles’ company, until 2007 when he was ill with lung cancer. Neil knew most of the wives (Cynthia, Maureen Starkey, Pattie Boyd, Linda McCartney, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, Barbara Bach, and Heather Mills; it's unknown if Neil met Nancy Shevell since she was starting to be serious in her relationship with Paul McCartney while Neil was ill and doing treatment at the time) including Jane Asher as Neil remained close to John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Neil met Susan Mary Ornstein in 1964 while the Beatles were filming A Hard Day's Night; Suzy's father George Ornstein was the head of United Artists backing the film. However, Neil was in a relationship with Mona Best and Suzy was married at the time before divorcing John Bramley. They married on August 30, 1968 and they had two children together, including three from previous relationships: Roag (July 21, 1962), Julian (May 21, 1964), Amanda (June  21, 1965), Gayla (19??), and Dhara (August 25, 1974). His daughter, Gayla, helped produced The Beatles’ Anthology documentary in 1995. Neil died in New York City on March 23, 2008. His funeral was attended by Yoko, Olivia, Barbara, and Kathy Best. 

"I just wanted to say, that Neil was a unique man, a loyal man & a man of great strength. He will be missed. I just wanted to publicly send my condolences to His Family & all that knew him, from either working with him, or just knowing him as a friend, from myself & My Mother, Cynthia. We will of course be contacting his family directly too. R.I.P Neil, Hope you guys are having fun up there!" 

Julian, 2008 

Kathy and Pete at Neil Aspinall's funeral in 2008

Pete Best was born on November 24, 1941 in Madras, India to Mona Best. When he was a toddler, the family moved to Liverpool. He met Kathy while performing with the Beatles at Subtree when she was dancing in the audience. They started dating at the first Beatles fan club party at the Cavern in 1962. In August, after Pete was fired from the Beatles, Kathy assured him that it was him she wanted, not a Beatle. They were married a year later, in August of 1963. They had two daughters, Beba and Bonita; Pete struggled as a musician. By 1968, after depression and a suicide attempt, Pete settled in civilian life working in a bakery and quit being a musician until 1988. In December of 1980, Kathy was listening to the radio while Pete was getting ready for work when she heard the news about John Lennon's death and told Pete to listen- he was horrified. Pete and Kathy live in Liverpool, married for over 50 years and are grandparents. Pete occasionally tours with his Pete Best Band. Kathy prefers to be private. I have no idea if Cynthia and Kathy met in 1962 (my gut says yes, but I have no official source to backup my gut), however Cynthia did reconnect with Pete in the 1980s so definitely they have met. 

Yoko, Paul McCartney, John, and Mal’s wife Lil Evans at the premiere of Yellow Submarine at the London Pavilion on July 17, 1968

Malcolm Frederick Evans was born on May 27, 1935 in Liverpool, England; he met the Beatles while working as a bouncer for the Cavern as well as a telecommunications engineer. He met Lily (born on June 12, 1936) at a fun fair in New Brighton and they were married in 1961. Their son Gary was born on October 11, 1961. When the Beatles’ got busier as their popularly grew, Neil requested to Brian that he needed help so Mal was hired as road manager. Their daughter, Julie Suzanne, was born on April 17, 1966; later that year (in August), The Beatles quit touring and they started to focus more on recording in the studio while starting up their own record label and continued to have Mal work for them until 1970 when he was laid off by Allen Klein. Mal, Lil, and their children were frequent guests at Kenwood. In 1973, Mal was separated from his wife and moved to Los Angeles to work as a music producer and manager until January 4, 1976 when he was killed by the police while holding an empty gun after a fight with a girlfriend.

"I fought for reality, for common sense, in a world that was going mad. I saw such terrible things happen. There was Mal Evans, the boys' road manager. He was a marvelous man with a lovely wife and two beautiful children. Then he went on one of the American tours and it all went to his head. He met this woman and he left his wife and moved in with her The last I heard was that the police had raided them, and because Mal had a gun they pumped him full of bullets."

Cynthia, 1976

Cynthia and George Martin at her book John launch party at Fitzroy Square on September 27, 2005 in London

George Henry Martin was born on January 3, 1926 in London, England. George met Jean 'Sheena' Chisholm at Fleet Air Arm while he served in World War II and they married on January 3, 1948. They had two children: Alexis (1955) and Gregory Paul (January 21, 1957), before they divorced on February 25, 1965. George wanted to become a performer (was taught an oboe by Margaret Asher, mother of Jane) but his mentor Oscar Preuss suggested music producing instead. George met Oscar's personal assistant Judy Lockhart-Smith at Parlophone Records. After Oscar's death in 1958, George took over his job and assistant Judy - they started having an affair and Judy encouraged George to be a tough negotiator with Parlophone’s parent EMI. In 1962, George left Sheena for good and made his relationship with Judy public in April of 1962 when George took her to an EMI event in the English beach resort town of Blackpool. Since then, George's relationship with his two older children were estranged with rare tense contact. In August of 1962, George met the Beatles in to record their debut album, Please Please Me, and remained their producer until they broke up in 1970. They became friends, socializing at each other’s homes, and George and Judy went with John and Cynthia skiing in St. Moritz. George and Judy got married on June 24, 1966 and had two children, Lucy (August 9, 1967) and Giles (October 9, 1969). After the Beatles broke up in 1970, George remained in touch with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, occasionally working on their solo albums, participating in The Beatles’ Anthology in 1995 and Cirque Du Soleil’s LOVE with his son, Giles. George died on March 8, 2016; his memorial service was attended by most of the Beatles family, including Julian.

"So Sad to hear the News of George’s Passing… The Fifth Beatle, without question, and likely one of the best & most Iconic Music Producers of all time. You were always such a gentleman and have inspired Millions and will continue to do so for Millennia… It was an Honour to know You. My Heart & Prayers go out to Judy and all other Family members… x."

Julian, 2016

Skis and a Broken Toe

January 25 - February 7, 1965

Andrea Badrutt, John, Han Haas, Cynthia, Judy Lockhart Smith, and George Martin in front of Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, January 1965

"St. Moritz, Switzerland, skiing."

John, 1965

"This will be the first time we ever been on skis."

John, 1965

It's been said that John went on a skiing vacation so he could get a better grasp of skiing to prepare himself for his upcoming film, Help!, that was set to start filming in March of 1965. However, Cynthia wrote in her first book that the idea to go on a skiing holiday was from Judy Lockhart-Smith. Maybe John learning to ski for the film is true, yet George and Ringo didn't bother (Ringo said since that that was his only time on skis) while Paul took his own skiing vacation a year later in 1966 with Jane and occasionally since then with wives Linda, Heather (who is an accomplished sports skier), and Nancy. Anyway, skiing... why not? I personally wouldn't, too much of a Floridian... maybe beginners sloop for the fun of it would be as far as I could do. Judy was George Martin's girlfriend; they got married in 1966 and remained married until George's death in 2017; at the time of this writing, Judy is still alive. I'll write more of her another day; let's continue on to St. Moritz. 

Cynthia and John in St. Moritz outside their hotel

I personally love this vacation for John and Cynthia: in pictures there's quite a lot of affection going on from John tying Cynthia's shoelaces to helping each other up from the snow after falling down. Of course, how could I forget those bench pictures?! This is the only vacation that John took with George Martin. I don't know how they decided to go as it seems like an unlikely match (think School Principal and pupil) but obviously they were social and seemed like a fun idea. 

John and Cynthia traveling to St. Moritz on January 25, 1965

On January 25, 1965, with Julian under the care of housekeeper Dot Jarlett, John, Cynthia, George, and Judy went to Switzerland. They arrived in Zurich and traveled two and half hours or three hours to St. Moritz by train, staying at Badrutt's Palace Hotel for two weeks. 

"Yeah, I didn't take Julian, because it's too young, two, to learn to ski, they learn about four. I'll take him when he's four. But I took my wife, yeah. It was great."

John, 1965

"A marvelous winter skiing holiday in St. Moritz secured us one such break from pressure. George Martin and Judy suggested it. George was a true gentleman and Judy a perfect lady. George's quiet manner, and shy humor, and tall elegant stature reminded me a great deal of Prince Phillip and if you had the pleasure of sitting next to Judy in a restaurant, her voice would ring out more queenly than the Queen. A delightful couple, beautifully matched. Judy was the only one of us to have skied before, so we all started from scratch. Our ski instructor was a very dishy Swiss and obviously fond of the ladies. We had our first hilarious lesson and returned to our hotel for a few drinks in our rooms before changing for dinner. As John and I were about to get changed we heard a lot of giggling and shrieking from the next room. Judy was having a fit. 

'John, Cyn, you must come here and have a look at George,' another burst of laughter followed. 'Oh, George, you do look an idiot!'

We rushed in to be confronted by George dressed only in his black tights and ski under garments posing with arms outstretched in a very dainty fashion about to attempt a 'pas de deux'. He pointed his long legs in readiness for his dance and promptly tripped. Poor George fell in an agonizing heap at our feet, clasping a badly injured ankle to him like a baby. Whenever I remember that holiday I get a picture of us all rushing into the plush hotel lounge after a day's exhilarating skiing to find George sitting glumly and miserably in an armchair with his foot on a stool encased in plaster of Paris.

'Are you all right, George, did you have a good day?' we would ask, trying hard not to show our amusement, 'No, I damn well haven't. If anyone else asks me where the accident happened and on which mountain, I'll scream. I have never felt such a fool in all my life.'"

Cynthia, from her book A Twist of Lennon, 1978

Han Haas, Cynthia, and John skiing in St. Moritz

Their ski instructor was Hans Haas. On their second day, George injured his toe in his hotel room. I think it was reported somewhere that George injured his toe while skiing ... maybe that was for the press to hide the real story of injuring his toe by acting foolish in his hotel room? Soon, word got out that a celebrity was there and photographers started coming around. There was an agreement for John (and Cynthia) to pose and allowed to be photographed for a day in exchange to spend the remaining holiday in peace. 

Cynthia helping John up from the snow in St. Moritz

Photographed by Arthur Steel

“I started work on the Daily Herald in London in January 1965 and I invited my girlfriend Irene down from Manchester. However, as she was travelling down on the train to see me I was sent off to St. Moritz to photograph John Lennon skiing with his wife Cynthia. When Lennon fell over in the snow, Cynthia came to his rescue and he shouted, ‘Come on! Me bum’s getting cold!’ – On my return, Irene eventually forgave me and we later married.”

Arthur Steel, Photographer 

"Yeah, well I fell down a few times, but for that actual photograph, I couldn't fall over. It was one - you know, when they waited for the fall, I didn't- I kept doin' it right, so I had to - the ski instructor taught me how to go down a hill and fall over, as well. So, I did- but I did fall over a lot, obviously, everybody does."

John, 1965

"Well - both my wife and I did well because we had a private instructor, you see, and all the people that sort of were in big classes were still doing the same stuff at the end of the two or three weeks. And we were going down from the top, so I suppose we were just above average, because it takes a long time if you're in a big class of forty, they can't teach you properly."

John, 1965

John was heard telling Cynthia to grab hold of him whenever he fell and felt skiing was grotty. One time, John went skiing 20 yards then his enthusiasm and energy vanished. Only when a taxi was found to take him the remaining 180 yards to the cable railway did he continue. After 10 minutes of tying boots and fitting skis, John got exhausted. Eventually he arrived at the nursery slopes at Chantarella Station where he promptly fell. While he was still untangling, two chic English women swept expertly by and one said to the other, "I think that's Ringo, darling!" They didn't spend all their time skiing: they shopped (bought Dot an ivory clock), and John was writing songs, most notably Norwegian Wood that later appeared on Rubber Soul later that year.  

“It was during this time that John was writing songs for Rubber Soul, and one of the songs he composed in the hotel bedroom, while we were gathered round, nursing my broken foot, was a little ditty he would play to me on his acoustic guitar. He’d say, ‘What do you think of this one?’ It had a slightly sick lyric, which was very apt to me nursing my injured toe. The song was ‘Norwegian Wood.’”

George Martin

Peter Baumgartner, Luc Modolo, John, Fredy Enz, Franco Bussmann, Walti Grütter, Cynthia, unknown, Hans Haas, George Martin, and Judy Lockheart-Smith at the nightclub at the Palace Hotel.

More about Norwegian Wood another day. Occasionally at night when not so tired, John, Cynthia, George, and Judy took in on the entertainment to see The Five Dorados in the hotel's nightclub. They even played a few Beatle songs, which John thought was wonderful. George was impressed enough to want to record in England but there was a problem with work permits so it couldn't be done

John and Cynthia arriving home in London from Zurich on February 7, 1965

On February 7, 1965, John, Cynthia, George, and Judy arrived home. 

"On their return from one holiday, John gave me a gift and thanked me for the nice holiday they were able to have, knowing Julian was well cared for. John and Cynthia went away for a holiday. I'm not sure where, but I believe it was Switzerland. I stayed at Kenwood with Julian, and when John came back, he thanked me for his best holiday ever, and gave me a little ivory clock."

Dot Jarlett