| | John Lennon singing in the studio |
"One of my greatest pleasures was giving John Lennon a smack over the mouth. This was about 1963 or 4. The Orange Lodge had services on St John’s plateau and I was a uniformed Inspector there. The whole of the plateau was full of Orange Lodge bands and such like. The whole of the pavements all around were crowded with onlookers, spectators. I was there with about a couple of Sergeants and about a dozen men, because you always anticipated trouble. They were holding this service. Over the front of the Empire Theatre is a glass canopy and I looked round and there was this fellow on the glass canopy dancing up and down. I thought you stupid s*d!  | | John Lennon performing with the Beatles on Saturday Club |
So I dived to the other side of the road and went up the little back street in Lime Street that leads to the rear of the Empire. I went into the Empire, shot up the stairs and there were about a dozen people and cameramen and all the rest of it in this room which was the other side of the canopy.
I shot right through this room. There was an open window and there was this fellow dancing up and down and waving to the crowd below. I shouted to him, "Come in you stupid s*d!" And he turned around and said, "You can eff off". I completely lost my rag. I stepped out onto the glass canopy, got him and smacked him right across the mouth. I dragged him into the room. Then it suddenly hit me, it was John Lennon. The Beatles were giving a press interview. I think he thought that that crowd there were there for the Beatles and he was trying to draw their attention. They were a big name then. I never heard another word about it."
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