Remembering Lennon: In bed with John and Yoko in 1969

In the summer of 1969, 16-year-old school reporter Gail Renard made the scoop of the year.

Hearing that newly-weds John Lennon and Yoko Ono were staying at a Montreal hotel, the Canadian Beatlemaniac broke in, and joined their entourage for a week.

Befriending John and Yoko, she witnessed first-hand their infamous "Bed-In" peace protest against the war in Vietnam, which culminated in the recording of the anthem Give Peace A Chance.

In a newly published book Give Me A Chance, she shares her memories of her amazing week, captured in a journal and on her trusty Brownie camera.

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of his assassination, she considers whether music or activism is his greatest legacy.

Video footage courtesy of British Pathe

Stills courtesy of Gail Renard, by permission of Walker Books

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