Public school canings: the inside story

A fascinating recollection of the daily routine of boarding school life in the early 1960s contains enough of interest to reproduce here in some detail:

“The day started with getting up at ‘rising bell’ then ablutions followed by making one’s bed. The breakfast bell would ring, and anyone who wasn’t ready would be awarded an hours working party by an irate prefect. Breakfast was followed by assembly in the chapel, except for Saturday’s when we had divisions in the school quadrangle.

Once assembly was over we headed to our respective classrooms for lessons which apart from a mid -morning break lasted until lunch time. Prep was next on the agenda, held in the common room, where we would spend a hour or so transferring scribbled notes in our rough books into our files or exercise books. Strict silence had to be observed during prep, which was supervised by a prefect. Transgressions of this rule earned the culprit four strokes of the cane, known as the “cuts,” which was administered in the boot room by the Head of House.

At the end of the prep period, we would make our way to our dormitories for rest period, a time when one could have a nap, read a book or write a letter home. Letters from home were handed out at dinner time. The all too short rest period came to an end with the clanging of the tea time bell, tea usually consisted of jam sandwiches and mugs of steaming sweet tea.

Games were the next activity on the list, each term hosting a different series of sports, football and cricket one term, rugby and athletics the next, swimming and hockey ending the year.

Hungry and tired, we would leave the playing fields and head to the bathroom, where the rule was, due to a shortage of hot water, two boys to each bath, when they had finished two more boys would take their place, and so on until everybody had been washed. Anyone who was a bit slow, ended up in something resembling a mud bath!

Time spent between bath time and evening meal was spent in the boot room cleaning football boots and shoes, particular attention being paid to dress shoes as dirty shoes resulted in an hours working party being awarded. These cleaning activities ceased when the dinner bell rang and we all assembled in the dining room for our evening meal. At meal times we all stood at our allotted places at the table, whilst the Head of House said grace… ”For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful,” was the prayer said before each meal.

Once dinner was over, the prep bell would ring again, and we would undergo another hour and a half of prep. If anyone was to be punished, towards the end of prep the Head of House would enter the common room and read out a list of names; these were the boys who were to be caned for one offence or another. The boys would have to line up outside the boot room and enter when their name was called. On entering, the unfortunate lad would bend over the bench where four strokes of the cane would be administered by the Head of House.

Between each stroke there was a space of some four to five seconds; enough time to let the pain sink in before the next stroke was delivered! When the caning was completed the victim would stand to attention, shake hands with the Head of House, and say “thank you”, very often with tears running down both cheeks. It was best to be caned first as the boys waiting outside the boot room could hear the swish of the cane and the occasional grunt of pain thus adding to more apprehension to the events.

Those boys who were not on punishment detail, congregated in the dining room for supper, more jam sandwiches and tea, before returning to their dormitories, where everybody prepared for bed. At 22.00hrs, the lights out bell would ring, and the prefects would turn off the lights.

…On Saturday mornings, after Divisions, a tradition from the schools Naval heritage, we had classes until lunch time. Saturday afternoons were free time except for a period of prep, and those boys who had to attend their working party. Working party was given for minor infringements of the rules, and the main jobs were cutting the house quadrangle grass, weeding, or repairing the prefects’ bikes. Anyone who had accumulated more than 4 hours working party, got the cane instead!

…If in a particular subject, a master thought that there was room for improvement, the master would give the pupil a ‘satis’ card. This card then had to be reviewed at the next lesson, if there had been an improvement the master would write satis in the appropriate box. If there had been no improvement, he would write non satis. Each non satis entry resulted in one hours working party. Three in a row was a caning offence, four non satis entries earned the culprit a caning and being gated on Sunday.”