Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox fly to London from the Virgin Islands β 27 May 1964
Wednesday 27 May 1964 | Travel, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
On 27 May 1964, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Ringo Starr, and Maureen Cox flew back to London from St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands β the day after John Lennon and George Harrison had returned from their holiday in Tahiti. All four Beatles were now back in England, reunited ahead of the group's forthcoming commitments.
St Thomas, US Virgin Islands β where Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Ringo Starr, and Maureen Cox holidayed before flying to London on 27 May 1964.
The Holiday
The Virgin Islands trip was a brief holiday taken by McCartney and Starr with their respective partners in the gap between The Beatles' Australian and world tour commitments. St Thomas β the most populous of the US Virgin Islands, located in the Caribbean β offered the kind of warm, remote retreat that was increasingly difficult to find as Beatlemania made ordinary travel impossible for the group.
Meanwhile, John Lennon and George Harrison had taken a separate holiday in Tahiti with their partners β Lennon with Cynthia and Harrison with Pattie Boyd. Lennon and Harrison had flown back to London on 26 May 1964, the day before McCartney and Starr's return.
The Context: May 1964
By May 1964, The Beatles were at the height of their global fame. The American invasion of February 1964 β the Ed Sullivan appearances and the subsequent chart domination β had transformed them from British pop stars into a worldwide phenomenon. The group had just completed a run of commitments including filming A Hard Day's Night and a series of UK and European dates, and were preparing for a major world tour that would take them to Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand in June and July 1964.
The brief holidays in Tahiti and the Virgin Islands were a rare moment of rest before the relentless schedule resumed.
Jane Asher
Jane Asher (born 1946) was a British actress who had been in a relationship with Paul McCartney since they met at a concert in April 1963. She was already an established actress β having appeared in films including The Greengage Summer (1961) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964) β and was widely regarded as one of the most intelligent and culturally sophisticated of the Beatles' partners. McCartney and Asher were together until 1968.
Maureen Cox
Maureen Cox (1946β1994) was a Liverpool hairdresser who had been a fan of The Beatles before becoming Ringo Starr's girlfriend. She and Starr married on 11 February 1965. They had three children β Zak, Jason, and Lee β before divorcing in 1975. Maureen Cox died of leukaemia in 1994.
Key Facts: 27 May 1964
- Travellers: Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Ringo Starr, Maureen Cox
- Departed: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
- Arrived: London
- Previous day: John Lennon and George Harrison returned from Tahiti (26 May 1964)
- Context: Rest break before the 1964 world tour (JuneβJuly 1964)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where had Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr been on holiday in May 1964?
St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, with their respective partners Jane Asher and Maureen Cox. They flew back to London on 27 May 1964.
Where were John Lennon and George Harrison at the same time?
On holiday in Tahiti with Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Boyd. They returned to London on 26 May 1964, the day before McCartney and Starr.
Who was Jane Asher?
A British actress and Paul McCartney's girlfriend from April 1963 to 1968. Already an established film actress, she was widely regarded as one of the most culturally sophisticated of the Beatles' partners.
Who was Maureen Cox?
A Liverpool hairdresser who became Ringo Starr's girlfriend and later his wife (married 11 February 1965). They had three children before divorcing in 1975. She died of leukaemia in 1994.
β The Beatles live: Capitol Cinema, Cardiff β 27 May 1963
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