George Harrison That's The Way God Planned It, is the 2nd book from Kevin Roach, following on from his 1st book McCartney's In The Town Where They Were Born, the reviews for Kevin's book are all positive with the research and unique access Kevin has to the archives, this book is a must for any Beatles fan.
George was born on 25th February 1943
George was born in a small two up - two down terrace house at No 12 Arnorld Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, the youngest of four children. Shortly after he was born his parents Harold and Louise to George to the local Catholic church Our Lady Of Good Help to be baptised.
George was born in a small two up - two down terrace house at No 12 Arnorld Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, the youngest of four children. Shortly after he was born his parents Harold and Louise to George to the local Catholic church Our Lady Of Good Help to be baptised.
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The register is written in Latin and reads as follows:
George Harrison - Date of Birth 25th Feb 1943, Date of Baptism 14th March 1943
Parents - Harold and Louise Harrison ( Formerly French). Godmother - Maria Fox
The Harrison's moved from Arnold Grove to the Speke housing estate to 25 Upton Green, when George was of school age. His first school was Dovedale School which was to be the same school as John Lennon, George knew of John at the school because his older brother Peter was in the same school year as John, but George never really bothered with John at that time. After leaving Dovedale School it was time to go to the Seniors, George passed his 11plus exam and was excepted into the Liverpool Institute High School in Liverpool City Centre, another pupil at the "Inny" but a year above him was Paul McCartney. George and Paul would travel to school on the same bus from Speke to the Inny, and became friends through their interest in Rock-n-Roll.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
30 July 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
great book for all Beatles and George Harrison fans
5.0 out of 5 starsA Gem!
10 September 2013
Format: Paperback
I loved this book. Kevin Roach has plainly researched the French and Harrison families and previously unpublished photos and documents have been included. You get a clear picture of the two families who created George Harrison.
Louisa Woollam, George's maternal grandmother is repeatededly called "Louise" throughout the book. Other books report her name as being Louisa, her fourth child and third daughter Louise, a variation of Louisa is plainly her namesake.
Harry Harrison and Louise French were reported as having married in May of 1931, although most other books and documents record the Harrison-French union as having taken place in May of 1930. Their first child, daughter Louise was born three months after the Harrison-French union on August 16, 1931. Roach discloses that the marriage, which did not take place in a church was because Louise was already expecting their daughter. Louise herself confirms this in her book My Kid Brother's Band a.k.a. the Beatles
Readers are treated to stories about the various members of the Harrison and French families. Readers see a picture of Harry's father, Henry Harrison who died in 1914 during WWI at Mons. (Hunter Davies' mentions this briefly in The Beatles: The Authorised Biography. All Davies says is that Henry Harrison was killed in Mons and that his widow, Jane was "put off services" and "didn't want her son to enlist.")
Bonus treats include stories about the lives of the Harrison and French families and readers get a sense of both sets of George's grandparents and great grandparents. I loved the parts about the church Louise French attended for many years. The church was lovely and a most welcome addition to and a very important part of the French/Harrison story. A devoted Catholic, Louise had all 4 of her little Harrisons baptized at Our Lady of Good Help, their neighborhood parish. Each Harrison child's baptismal certificate is included, along with those of Harold Sr. and Louise French. An interesting aside: Louise and her children's baptismal certificates are written in Latin and the names inscribed on each are Latinized. Harold Sr., who was not baptized in a Catholic church had a baptismal certificate written entirely in English.
An additional aside: the two oldest Harrison children, Louise and little Harold were baptized on the same day. Lou was nearly 3 and her brother little more than a newborn at the time. (George's Catholic roots stayed with him and bore fruit. He kept a beautiful statue of Mother Mary on his grounds at Friar Park.)
Another treat was the painting of the lovely house and garden where Louisa Woollam grew up. Gardening and a love for flora ran on both sides of the Harrison-French families and it should come as no surprise that George loved gardening and saw himself as a gardener. There is a lot of Louise French in George - he was Harold Sr. from the eyes up and Louise French from the nose down. In 1965, Louise told her son's fan club members that she thought George looked like her dad, a tall man from Ireland. An avid gardener herself, Louise chafed at the move from her original home with Harry to the famed home in Speke because she was displeased with the way many neighborhood kids trampled her garden. In 1965 when George bought the senior Harrisons a lovely home in Appleton, he made sure there was plenty of land for them to garden, much to their delight.
This book is a gift that keeps giving. Readers will thank Kevin Roach for his tireless contributions and research and George's sister Louise and their cousin Anthony French for their invaluable input and contributions. Thank you!
George Harrison - Date of Birth 25th Feb 1943, Date of Baptism 14th March 1943
Parents - Harold and Louise Harrison ( Formerly French). Godmother - Maria Fox
The Harrison's moved from Arnold Grove to the Speke housing estate to 25 Upton Green, when George was of school age. His first school was Dovedale School which was to be the same school as John Lennon, George knew of John at the school because his older brother Peter was in the same school year as John, but George never really bothered with John at that time. After leaving Dovedale School it was time to go to the Seniors, George passed his 11plus exam and was excepted into the Liverpool Institute High School in Liverpool City Centre, another pupil at the "Inny" but a year above him was Paul McCartney. George and Paul would travel to school on the same bus from Speke to the Inny, and became friends through their interest in Rock-n-Roll.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
30 July 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
great book for all Beatles and George Harrison fans
5.0 out of 5 starsA Gem!
10 September 2013
Format: Paperback
I loved this book. Kevin Roach has plainly researched the French and Harrison families and previously unpublished photos and documents have been included. You get a clear picture of the two families who created George Harrison.
Louisa Woollam, George's maternal grandmother is repeatededly called "Louise" throughout the book. Other books report her name as being Louisa, her fourth child and third daughter Louise, a variation of Louisa is plainly her namesake.
Harry Harrison and Louise French were reported as having married in May of 1931, although most other books and documents record the Harrison-French union as having taken place in May of 1930. Their first child, daughter Louise was born three months after the Harrison-French union on August 16, 1931. Roach discloses that the marriage, which did not take place in a church was because Louise was already expecting their daughter. Louise herself confirms this in her book My Kid Brother's Band a.k.a. the Beatles
Readers are treated to stories about the various members of the Harrison and French families. Readers see a picture of Harry's father, Henry Harrison who died in 1914 during WWI at Mons. (Hunter Davies' mentions this briefly in The Beatles: The Authorised Biography. All Davies says is that Henry Harrison was killed in Mons and that his widow, Jane was "put off services" and "didn't want her son to enlist.")
Bonus treats include stories about the lives of the Harrison and French families and readers get a sense of both sets of George's grandparents and great grandparents. I loved the parts about the church Louise French attended for many years. The church was lovely and a most welcome addition to and a very important part of the French/Harrison story. A devoted Catholic, Louise had all 4 of her little Harrisons baptized at Our Lady of Good Help, their neighborhood parish. Each Harrison child's baptismal certificate is included, along with those of Harold Sr. and Louise French. An interesting aside: Louise and her children's baptismal certificates are written in Latin and the names inscribed on each are Latinized. Harold Sr., who was not baptized in a Catholic church had a baptismal certificate written entirely in English.
An additional aside: the two oldest Harrison children, Louise and little Harold were baptized on the same day. Lou was nearly 3 and her brother little more than a newborn at the time. (George's Catholic roots stayed with him and bore fruit. He kept a beautiful statue of Mother Mary on his grounds at Friar Park.)
Another treat was the painting of the lovely house and garden where Louisa Woollam grew up. Gardening and a love for flora ran on both sides of the Harrison-French families and it should come as no surprise that George loved gardening and saw himself as a gardener. There is a lot of Louise French in George - he was Harold Sr. from the eyes up and Louise French from the nose down. In 1965, Louise told her son's fan club members that she thought George looked like her dad, a tall man from Ireland. An avid gardener herself, Louise chafed at the move from her original home with Harry to the famed home in Speke because she was displeased with the way many neighborhood kids trampled her garden. In 1965 when George bought the senior Harrisons a lovely home in Appleton, he made sure there was plenty of land for them to garden, much to their delight.
This book is a gift that keeps giving. Readers will thank Kevin Roach for his tireless contributions and research and George's sister Louise and their cousin Anthony French for their invaluable input and contributions. Thank you!