Richard Starkey / Ringo's dad (1913? to 5th December 1981)

Being a Beatles geek I thought I’d look for the grave of Ringo Starr’s dad. I visited Middlewich Cemetery to have a coffee with my Uncle Andy who is buried there. Someone told me Ringo’s dad is buried “pretty much opposite” my uncle’s headstone. They were correct. I went to have a coffee with Uncle Andy and said “hold on a minute” and I went to look for Richard Starkey. It found it quickly though I’m not sure why Richard is buried here as his parents are both buried in Allerton Cemetery in Liverpool.

He wasn’t in Ringo’s life for long and left when the poor lad was three years old. He was a docker and married to Elsie when Ringo was born at Madryn Street in Dingle (see link below.) They didn’t have any more children together. Both liking singing and dancing much leisure time was spent in ballrooms around Liverpool. This stopped after Ringo was born. The family moved to Admiral Grove in 1944 but they soon separated and divorced. I'm not sure why the marriage didn’t last for very long. I’ve read that Richard didn’t bond with Ringo and spent long hours (and days) in the pubs and dancehalls around Liverpool. I’ve also read that his wife developed such an overprotective approach to their newborn that Richard felt pushed out. Later on Ringo claimed he had no solid memories of his dad. He visited him few times after the divorce but there was no seminal bonding. Richard paid his ex-wife support payments of thirty shillings a week but she struggled and worked as a cleaner and barmaid.

Ringo was a weak child. Aged six he spent a year in hospital with peritonitis and then aged thirteen he spent two years away from school with a lung disorder. His dad didn’t seem to care. Elsie remarried and Richard departed from Ringo's life, never wanting to be a part of The Beatle’s circus. He eventually remarried and died in Crewe aged 68. He's buried here with his wife who lived for another 19 years.

Coming from a poor broken home marked Ringo and even when the Beatles started to make money he wanted payments in cash in a brown envelopes at the end of every week (he’s supposed to be worth £30 million nowadays.)

I had a coffee with my Uncle Andy and by coincidence my Aunty Norma was just arriving to clear up his grave.

Having a coffee with Uncle Andy...