Page 7 - L&T John Bonham
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John Bonham Redditch Heritage
Life and Times of John Bonham
Birth of a Legend
John Henry Bonham (aka Bonzo) was born on Monday 31st May 1948 at 84 Birchfield
Road in the Headless Cross area of Redditch. The property was the home of Mrs Violet
Jones, a State Registered Nurse and Certified Midwife.
John weighed in at 10lbs 4ozs! His birth was an eventful occasion with labour lasting 26
hours, after which, his heart stopped beating. The doctor had left the house, so Nurse
Jones sent for another doctor who managed to revive him.
Nurse Jones later said it was “a miracle” that the baby had survived. A few days later,
his mother, Joan, took baby John home to Meadowhill Crescent, near to Redditch town
centre.
John, his father, and grandfather all shared the name John Henry Bonham, but Bonzo's
father was known as Jack. Jack was a carpenter who helped run the family business, JH
Bonham & Son, a building company, established by his father. John’s mother, Joan, ran
a newsagents shop in Hunt End, on the outskirts of town, where the Bonhams relocated
to when John was a few months old.
The Bonham Family
John was the eldest of three children of parents Joan Isobel Sargent and John (Jack)
Henry Bonham. John's younger brother, Michael (1950-2000) was a keen photographer
and DJ, later becoming manager of a local golf club.
Younger sister, Deborah, was born on 7th February 1962, and is now a successful
singer-songwriter in her own right.
John’s brother Michael John’s sister Deborah John’s wife Pat
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