When this rarely-seen photo first emerged, it was sent to Roag Best, brother of Pete and custodian of both the Casbah Club and the Magical Beatles Museum in Liverpool. Roag had never seen the photo before but confirmed that it is a photo taken in one of the upstairs rooms of 8 Hayman’s Green, the Best’s home and site of the Casbah Club. He also confirmed that he still had the African heads from the wall behind them “ in a box somewhere”.Roag then showed the photo to Pete, who noted that his Grandad’s golf clubs are on the picture, leaning up against the wall – three golf drivers in the space between John and George. The ‘Grandad’ Pete is referring to is Major Thomas Shaw, Mona’s Dad. His medals are now on show in the Magical Beatles Museum having previously been borrowed by John Lennon to wear on the cover of the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album.The original photo is b & w but of course somebody colorised it within 24 hours of it first being posted on the internet.In the photo John has his Club 40 (purchased August 1959) but George still has his Hofner President. George swapped the President for a Club 40 of his own. Previous books have stated that George had his Club 40 first. This photo would suggest otherwise.
