Caning

The deal was that you were not allowed to administer the cane during your probationary year. After that, with the permission of he Headteacher, you could apply two strokes. The senior staff were allowed to administer six stokes for serious offences.

Once my first year was completed, I was ready to deal with my first victim. I had to choose carefully though. I didn't want to pick on one of the hardened characters who might have judged my performance poor.

Eventually I found the right pupil to deal with. I can't remember what he had done but it was bad enough for me to give him two strokes.

Now I had a choice; the hand or the backside. The backside was an easier target but required a different technique and there was always the risk of involuntary flatulence on the part of the pupil, so I chose the hand. I missed on the first stroke but got him right on the crease where the fingers join the palm with the second and managed to break the cane in the process.

One of the Housemasters offered me his cane as a replacement. This one was short and thick and had been carefully wrapped in tape to stop it from splitting.

It was just the job because the third stroke was right on target* and brought the required response from the boy - a sharp gasp followed by a rubbing of the hand to try and soothe the pain.

* I was told that the best place to aim for was the fingers where there is little flesh to cushion the blow.

Now with first blood under my belt, I could relax because I'd established my reputation.

There were a few amusing incidents involving the cane that I will relate.

Giving chase

The Deputy Head was intent giving a boy six strokes for a very serious offence. The boy had other ideas though and would not stand still. After chasing the boy around his office a couple of times, the Deputy Head summoned help. Whilst one teacher held the boy still the other applied the cane.

The cure for lateness

The Senior Master decided that enough was enough and that he was going to deal with the problem of lateness. He summoned a couple of members of staff to help. One shepherded the latecomers into the first year yard, the second recorded their names into the punishment book and the Senior Master applied the cane. The first day he dealt with over 120 pupils. The second day there was just a handful. The Senior Master was relieved; applying two hundred and forty strokes of the cane in less than an hour was a bit of an ordeal for him.

Parent power

A particularly arrogant pupil had been very offensive towards one of the Science Technicians so his father was called into the school. The pupil obviously thought his father was going to defend him but he was wrong.

Once the situation had been explained to the father, he asked the Housemaster if he could borrow the cane. Having got the cane, the father made his son drop his trousers and gave him six of the best on his backside.

He then offered the cane back to the Housemaster so that he could follow suite.

Finally the father asked for the technician who had been offended to be summoned. The boy was made to kneel down and make a groveling apology in his underpants.

We never had a problem with that boy again.