I have my birth certificate open before me. A little dog-eared and worn, the handwritten form is still very legible. It says that I was born in Iserlohn, West Germany, at five minutes past midnight on 8 July 1955. It also has my name as George Montagu Don. However, this has a single line passed through it in different ink and in another, smaller hand is written Montagu Denis, to replace the George.
The intention had been to name me after my two grandfathers – George Don and Montagu Wyatt. The latter died a few months before I was born, but my father’s father – George Don – when told of the arrangement for his latest grandson, said he thought Montagu was an absurd name and should be removed. However,…
