On February 25, 1964, George Harrison celebrated his 21st birthday in a special way. While The Beatles’ career was skyrocketing, George chose a peaceful and meaningful way to welcome his new year, by visiting The Beatles’ fan club office in London.
There, Mary Cockram (also known as Ann Collingham) and Bettina Rose, who were handling much of the fan mail sent to the band, presented George with a thoughtful birthday gift. This was a special moment in the early years of The Beatles’ career when they were receiving overwhelming love and support from millions of fans worldwide.
George received 30,000 birthday cards in the mail, but not a single card from the other three Beatles. “We’re not sentimental people,” George said.
In addition to receiving thousands of 21st birthday keys, he received six-foot high double doors which had been delivered by seven girls. It was a UK tradition to give keys as a present on 21st birthdays as you were now old enough to be a key-holder to your family’s home, and hold a symbolical senior position in the family.
The first greeting came from his mother, Mrs Louise Harrison, who rang from Liverpool at 12.10am, the exact time he was born and sang: “Happy Birthday to You.” How did George respond? “I had a good laugh,” he said. “In America they have birthday operators singing to you and for a minute when my mother came on, I thought it was the operator.”
Although The Beatles were already internationally famous at the time, George took the time to connect with and thank those who had been with him throughout the journey. This event serves as a reminder of a golden era for The Beatles and the sincere affection they had for their fans.
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