ABSTRACT
John Major was born at Brixton in London on 29 March 1943, the younger son of Thomas Major and Gwendolyn Minny Coates. His father was Abraham Thomas Ball, later to take the stage name Major, a master bricklayer in his early life, a juggler, acrobat and comedian in the theatre throughout his mid-life, and a businessman at the end. His mother, Tom Major’s second wife, also worked in the theatre. Despite his background, Major was educated at Rutlish Grammar School, left school at sixteen to work as a clerk and eventually ended up working in the banking sector.
