DOROTHY RHONE
Dorothy Rhone was born in Childwall, a suburb of Woolton in the 1940's.
Cynthia Lennon, a former friend of her, recalled she was a "gentle soul who spoke in whispers and blushed frequently".As for her looks, Cyn describes her as "a tiny little thing with a very pretty, pixie face and huge puppy-dog eyes". When she was older, Dot, as she was called, worked as a dispensing chemist clerk as lived with her parents. Her father was very strict and was suspicious of Dot's boyfriend, Paul McCartney.When Paul McCartney and the Beatles went off to hamburg, Dot and Cynthia would often visit them. The first of these visits took place in the Easter break, when Cynthia got holidays at school. Paul's father took them to London from Liverpool and put them on the boat train himself. When they arrived there, Paul, for some reason, had found Dot a houseboat, while John thought it would be nice for Cynthia to stay with their new German student friend,
Astrid Kirchher.While she was there, Paul would jealously guard her by placing her near the group while they were playing. He requested that she dye her hair blonde and wear miniskirts, similar to his ideal woman, Brigitte Bardot. Althoguh Dot loved Paul, she found his jealously and control too much, so she would return home to try to get rid of him. Cynthia also returned back to Liverpool. Dot, then, moved out of her house and became roomate with Cynthia in a Liverpool boarding house located at 93 Garmoyle Road, Liverpool, not far from Penny Lane. Paul, still in Hamburg, wrote a song for her in which he declared his love for her and telling her that he would be home soon and they would be together again. The song was written in the form of a letter and was called "
P.S. I Love You".But at the same time, while Dot and Cynthia were in Liverpool, waiting for their boyfriends to return, Paul McCartney found opportunity in hamburg. Known well for it's red-light district, McCartney had girls around him all the time and was not one to let a chance pass. However, when Paul did return to Liverpool, he and Dot resumed their relationship.
It wouldn't last long, though, and it ended in 1962, just as the Beatles began recording. One evening, Paul visited Dot, quickly said it was over, and then rushed out of her room.
Dot was devastated. Although she didn't like some of his ways, she still loved him. When he told her, she was by herself in the room. Cynthia remembers well this particular evening in whih Paul broke the news to Dot.
"Poor defencelss Dot, she wouldn't hurt a fly but had been hurt so much that she couldn't even tell me without renewed convulsions and outbursts of uncontrollable crying. As it was, there was no need for her to tell me anything, for only one thing could have caused her this amount of pain and that one thing was for Paul to give her the push. He was too young and had no plans to settle down just yet -he still wanted to be footlose and fancy free and I suppose, in truth, he did let her down gently under the sircumstances- but when you have been loved by Paul McCartney -and been in love with him at the same time- it is a bit of a blow to be told- it's all over".
She knew it was time to move on.
Dot moved out, and after getting married, she lived in Canada. When the Beatles had international success by 1964, they made a stop in Toronto, Canada. Her husband, her oldest daughter Astrid, and herself were sent by Rolls-Royce to see the Beatles perform at Maple Leaf Gardens. They were invited backstage, where Dot and Paul could finally end the relationship in the proper way by talking about it. She was able to move on with her life knowing her past with McCartney was put to rest.
But next time you listen to "
P.S. I Love You", spare a thought for Dot Rhone, the inspiration behind the lyrics.