Tuesday 19 June 1945 | Elmswood Infirmary, Liverpool, England
On 19 June 1945, Julia Lennon gave birth to a daughter at the Salvation Army's Elmswood Infirmary on North Mossley Hill Road in Liverpool. The child was named Victoria Elizabeth Lennon. She was John Lennon's half-sister. John was never told she existed.
Julia Lennon and the Years of Alf's Absence
Julia Lennon's husband, Alf Lennon, was a merchant seaman who was frequently away at sea for long periods. By the early 1940s the marriage was effectively over in practice, though not in name. Julia and John were living at Dairy Cottage, 120a Allerton Road, Woolton ā a property owned by George Smith, the husband of Julia's sister Mimi. It was Mimi who would later take John in permanently, becoming the aunt who raised him.
With Alf absent, Julia spent evenings at dance halls. In 1942 she met a Welsh soldier known as Taffy Williams, stationed at Mossley Hill barracks in Liverpool. Julia fell pregnant by Williams in late 1944. Initially she claimed she had been raped by an unknown soldier. When Williams discovered the truth, he refused to live with her unless she gave up John ā he did not want the social shame of being with a married woman and her son. Julia refused, and the relationship ended.
When Alf Lennon returned to Liverpool in 1944, he offered to look after Julia, John, and the unborn baby. Julia told him their relationship was over.
The Birth and Adoption
Victoria Elizabeth Lennon was born on 19 June 1945 at the Elmswood Infirmary. Under pressure from Julia's family, the baby was given up for adoption to a Norwegian Salvation Army captain, Peder Pedersen, and his wife Margaret. The child was renamed Ingrid Marie Pedersen and was raised in Crosby, on the outskirts of Liverpool.
John Lennon was five years old when his half-sister was born. He was never told about her existence ā not by Julia, not by Mimi, not by anyone in the family. The secret was kept for decades.
Ingrid's Discovery
Ingrid Pedersen discovered her famous half-brother in 1966, while working as a nurse. Wishing to get married, she needed to produce her birth certificate ā and found that she was related to a Beatle. She described the moment of discovery in an interview published in the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun in 2000:
"I knew Mum kept a tin box in her wardrobe that contained family papers. When no one was around I opened it, trembling. I found a yellowing, dog-eared adoption paper that had been issued by Liverpool County Court. Then I saw my full name: Lillian Ingrid Maria Pedersen, and my birth date. Above that were the three words I had been looking for: Victoria Elizabeth Lennon ā the name I was born with. My real mother's name, Julia Lennon, was also there. I burst into tears."
ā Ingrid Pedersen, Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun, 2000
Ingrid had been collecting press cuttings about John Lennon since she became aware of the connection, hiding them in a drawer in her bedroom. She described the conflict she felt:
"As soon as I became aware that John was my brother I started to collect every cutting on him I could find and hid them in a drawer in my bedroom. I was terrified in case my parents found out. It would have been a betrayal of them. I felt I couldn't contact John when my adoptive mother was still alive. I felt an incredible loyalty to her because I believe she knew I was dad's real daughter and she took me in as her own daughter with no obvious resentment about his affair with Julia."
ā Ingrid Pedersen, 2000
By the time Ingrid discovered the truth, John Lennon had left The Beatles and was living in New York. He was shot and killed in December 1980. Ingrid never made contact with him.
Julia Lennon
Julia Lennon (1914ā1958) was a complex and vivid figure in John Lennon's life ā largely absent during his childhood, when Mimi took over his care, but a warm and musical presence when he did see her. It was Julia who taught John to play banjo and encouraged his musical interests. She was killed on 15 July 1958, struck by a car driven by an off-duty police officer outside Mimi's house in Menlove Avenue. John was seventeen. He later wrote Julia ā the closing track on The White Album ā in her memory.
The existence of Victoria/Ingrid was one of several aspects of Julia's life that John either did not know about or was not told. Julia had also had a son, John Albert Dykins (known as David), with her long-term partner Bobby Dykins, and two daughters, Julia and Jacqui, who were John Lennon's half-sisters through the same mother. These half-sisters ā unlike Victoria/Ingrid ā were known to John.
Key Facts: 19 June 1945
| Date of birth | Tuesday 19 June 1945 |
| Birth name | Victoria Elizabeth Lennon |
| Birth place | Elmswood Infirmary, North Mossley Hill Road, Liverpool |
| Mother | Julia Lennon |
| Father | Taffy Williams (Welsh soldier, Mossley Hill barracks) |
| Adopted name | Lillian Ingrid Maria Pedersen |
| Adoptive parents | Peder Pedersen (Norwegian Salvation Army captain) and Margaret Pedersen |
| Raised in | Crosby, Liverpool |
| Discovery | 1966, while applying for a marriage certificate |
| John Lennon told? | No ā never |
North Mossley Hill Road, Liverpool ā the location of the Salvation Army's Elmswood Infirmary, where Victoria Elizabeth Lennon was born on 19 June 1945.
John Lennon: The Early Years
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did John Lennon have a half-sister he didn't know about?
Yes. Victoria Elizabeth Lennon was born on 19 June 1945 to Julia Lennon and a Welsh soldier known as Taffy Williams. She was given up for adoption and renamed Ingrid Pedersen. John Lennon was never told about her existence.
How did Ingrid Pedersen discover she was John Lennon's sister?
In 1966, while working as a nurse and applying for a marriage certificate, Ingrid needed to produce her birth certificate. She found her adoptive mother's tin box of family papers and discovered an adoption document naming her as Victoria Elizabeth Lennon, with Julia Lennon listed as her mother.
Who was Julia Lennon?
Julia Lennon (1914ā1958) was John Lennon's mother. She taught John to play banjo and encouraged his musical interests. She was killed on 15 July 1958, struck by a car outside Mimi's house. John later wrote the song Julia in her memory, the closing track on The White Album.
Did Ingrid Pedersen ever contact John Lennon?
No. Ingrid felt unable to contact John while her adoptive mother was still alive, out of loyalty to her. By the time she might have done so, John Lennon had been killed in December 1980. They never met.
Who were John Lennon's half-siblings?
John Lennon had three known half-sisters through his mother Julia: Victoria (adopted as Ingrid Pedersen), and Julia and Jacqui Dykins, who were Julia Lennon's daughters with her long-term partner Bobby Dykins. Julia and Jacqui were known to John; Victoria/Ingrid was not.
ā 19 June in Beatles History
ā June in Beatles History
ā John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
ā Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
ā George Harrison: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
ā Ringo Starr: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
ā The Beatles Knowledge Hub
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