I’ve had a couple of messages over the past week from old friends from my Haven & Pontin’s days where I’ve been referred to as Johno. The following keeps popping up in my head…….

Me: Johno? Johno… Now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time… A long time.
Junior: I think my uncle knows him. He said he was dead.
Me: Oh, he’s not dead… Not yet anyway.
Junior: You know him?
Me: Of course I know him….He’s me!
*pauses*
Me: I haven’t gone by the name of Johno since before you were born.
*looks away reflecting on the past…at Camber and Littlesea*
Me: I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn’t allow it. He feared you might follow old Johno on some damn fool idealistic summer season show like your father did. It’s your father’s jacket. This is the weapon of a BlueCoat. Not as clumsy or as random as a Red Coat, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the BlueCoats were the guardians of fun and laughter in the Old Holiday Camps. Before the dark times. Before Ibiza.

But I am an old man and my powers are weak….

As only some family and friends are aware, my great-great-grandfather changed his name from Sepke Ykema to Charlie Ikel when he emigrated from Friesland in the north of the Netherlands (Holland) as he thought it would be easier for the English to pronounce. How wrong he was! Incidentally, he chose Charlie as that was his nick-name on the docks. None of his East London co-workers could say Sepke correctly, so they called him Charlie instead and it stuck.

Anyway, did a quick search on Facebook for Ykema to see how common it is. There are LOADS of them in the US and Canada, but I am guessing that they are probably not related. Having said that, I don’t know about much about Charlie’s brothers or sisters so it may be possible.