Fifty years ago this week a couple of famous visitors flew into Gibraltar by private jet to get married. They weren’t the first to come to the Rock for a wedding, and they certainly won’t be the last. It was a hastily arranged ceremony and caused quite a stir. It even proved inspiration for a song to be written about it – the Ballad of John & Yoko.
Fifty years on, the impact of that flying visit is still being felt in Gibraltar, images of the happy couple have featured on Gibraltar Stamps, couples getting married here on the Rock still ask to follow in the newly wed Mr & Mrs Lennon’s footsteps and have their photo taken on the airport runway. This week’s episode looks back at the events 50 years ago, and how they’ve left their mark here even today.
Special thanks go to Polly Whitmore & Charlie Galliano for their help with this episode and especially to Mr Galliano for giving permission to use his photos (taken by the official Beatles photographer David Nutter) to illustrate this episode. Thanks go as well to Aaron Enriles from the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau http://www.gibraltar-stamps.com/ (and for allowing me to use photos of the 30th Anniversary stamps Photo Credit: M ‘Slim’ Simpson) and to Flora Lam from Rock Occasions https://www.rockoccasions.com/
Music on this podcast is by DP Music on www.melodyloops.com mixed with Gibraltar atmospheric sounds
Gibraltar Stories is produced, edited and presented by Lindsay Weston
Newly married John & Yoko at Gibraltar Airport (with Charlie Galliano in the background) Photo taken by David Nutter (official Beatles photographer)
John & Yoko at Gibraltar Airport with Charlie Galliano and his VW Beetle in the background. (Photo taken by official Beatles photographer David Nutter)
