I School Corporal Punishment
You asked me about Pe when I was at school which would be the 1960-70 period. Do remember that this was an all boys school and mixed classes for PE in this era was unheard of. Many things changed from 1970 to 1980 and many banned in state schools. In the private schools (prep schools 8-13) most of the things I talk about here would not have been allowed.
In 1960 – 70 Pe was in actual fact broken up into three sections. These being 2 periods of gym/exercise a week in the gym…..one double lesson of swimming and one afternoon of games. The games played in prep schools at this time were football, rugby, cross country, basketball, rounders, cricket, stool ball, athletics and various team games. This was a very competitive era where winning was very important. Being a runner up was regarded as being the first looser.
Pe teachers were either a pupils favourite teacher or the most hated and dreaded. Pe teachers were well known for the use of the slipper. Not the black slip on type, which was used for “fun” slippering, but a very large house slipper with a thick but fairly flexible leather sole. The top of the slipper was cut off to make it easier for the teacher to hold and more flexible. My teacher, like most had a name for his slipper and he called hid “Fred”. This for the slightest offence would be whacked once or twice across a boys bottom and at times three whacks were given. Each whack, due to the large size of the sole would get nearly every tiny part of a boys bottom when it was whacked. The sting was very intense, but short lived as was the large red mark it left.
In this period most schools did swimming. We had our own pool and had an 8o minute session a week. Unless playing a game no talking was the rule in the pool. For those that offended they had to lean and grasp the rail that lead from the footbath to the pool and take on or two whacks with Fred. Two things highlighted swimming in those days. Firstly, the water was cold. It was indoors but was not heated, nor was the building housing the pool. It was freezing in winter and you were often shivering. You had to have a shower before entering the pool area and this was always cold. Swimming lessons were great in the summer but due to the cold unpleasant in the winter. At this time swimming was done in the nude (if interested can explain why) and indeed in some private prep schools that have their own pool this is still the case today, but rare. The two biggest offences you could commit in the lesson was running around the pool or pushing others in. All other offences got you one or two of the slipper but these offences got you three whacks which was very painful. It was of course on your bare bottom, and still today I cannot workout why the slipper applied to your bare bottom when it was wet hurt more than when it was dry!!!
The two lessons in the gym were basically exercises or fitness games for one lesson. The other was basic gym, doing things on thick rubber mats, climbing ropes, using the climbing frame, vaulting box and benches. The mat you landed on for vaulting was made of horse hair or coir and was like a door mat.
For these lessons the only item of clothing that was allowed was a thin pair of white cotton shorts. You were topless and bare footed as well as pants not being allowed. Unless you were playing a game no talking was allowed. Break the rule and it was shorts down, hands on knees and one or two whacks with Fred on the bare bottom. Club swinging was a popular form of exercise as was skipping and circuit training.
The games in the gym were tough “real boys games” and not designed for softies. I will describe the games if asked if you do nt know them, but most were banned in State schools by mid 1980’s but lived on in private schools. We played such games as British Bull Dogs, Pirates, Murder Ball, Tug Ball, Slipper Chaise, floor wrestling and at times boxing.
Boxing was carried out without any protection at all. A bloody noise or cut lip were fairly common but boys and parents did not complain. It was designed to toughen boys up. A contest was none stop until the teacher thought it was enough. Falling to the floor did not get the fight stopped and you had to stand up and carry on. Some of the “weeds” use to take a real thumping from us stronger ones. The most serious rule to break was to give a punch below the waist. The contest was stopped and the boy encouraged to get on his feet. The teacher then gave the boy who had taken the low punch a gym shoe. The boy who had given the low punch was then made to drop shorts and bend over so that the boy who took the low punch could give him three whacks on the bare bottom with the gym shoe . Of course you could be lucky or unlucky. The boy with the slipper may just tap your bottom three times, but at times the boy would really whack your bottom. It may only be a tiny gym shoe but if done hard certainly hurt. I accidently gave a low punch once and the boy really disliked me. He really gave me three as hard as he could….gosh it hurt.
Often games were one against one. The winner being presented with the slipper to give the looser one whack which was on shorts. The looser could ask for double or quits. Most times it was a re-match. If the boy won he was spared the whack but if he lost he got two on his shorts from the winner. The looser had one last chance which a few did take and ask for the “challenge” . Here the looser was given a basket ball and one shot to score a basket. If he managed it he was let off the two whacks, but if he failed he had to drop his shorts and the winner give two on the bare bottom. If sounds horrid really but most of us regarded it as fun, and nobody ever complained. When you lost a lot depended on who was going to whack your bottom. A lot just gave you a tap which was allowed, others really hit you. It was a good chance for us to get our own back on the class snitch/tell tale that may have got us the cane from the teacher. Needless to say nobody held back when whacking that boy, and of course it did happen that you got whacked more than once in a lesson. I recall, that I lost two games of tug ball, both against boys who did not like me….they hit me hard. It was all about being competitive, never giving up and taking what you had coming. We did get a few damaged fingers but the most serious was a broken arm, but that was just dismissed as one of those things. Of course the “fun” slipper did not hurt like Fred and unless you went for the challenge was on your shorts. The secret was to bend over just far enough to get hands on your knees so your shorts were baggy and tried to hold your bottom in: this cushioned the whack and took a lot of sting out of the whack. The other way was to really get your shorts really tight across your bottom, as that also reduced the sting. The worse thing was to bend over and your bottom just touching your shorts. If the boy did it hard it was what we called a “real bum stinger”
Forgetting shorts for these lessons was an offence punished with Fred. The first time you forgot your shorts we were lent a very large pair that you had to hold up or they fell down. That was your punishment. The second time in a year your were given the shorts again but had to “pay” with ne of Fred on your bare bottom. Forget a third time it was the same but two of Fred done bare. Both these whackings given at the end of the lesson. Forget for a fourth time it was THREE of Fred at the end of the lesson while you reached over the vaulting box and you really got it on your bare bottom. In addition to this you had, and I do not joke, do the lesson in the nude.
Games outdoors had a kit for most sports and wrong/no kit was punished the same way. Cross country I did enjoy because I was very good at it. A lot hated it more than anything. You just had trainers, socks, thin shorts and a very thin running vest. It made no difference how cold it was or how hard it was running cross country was never cancelled. Track suits, gloves and alike were not allowed Forget your running vest, regardless of how cold it was (wonder why we did not all die of cold) you did it topless and at the end it was shorts down and two of Fred on your bottom. You had the whole run to think about those two whacks at the end. Again,if you forgot you were punished like in the gym. I recall in the spring term, a group of 7 boys forgot to look at the notice board the day before and did not have any outdoor kit. We all found it amusing that rather than being lent kit and getting two again, got the full indoor punishment. Yes. No joking they had, in the cold, do the run in the nude. The course was in the grounds but a footpath followed the fence and many a person must have seen these 7 running in the nude apart for a pair of outdoor shoes. After the race it was bend over and three of Fred applied to each of their bare bottoms. Their would have been an outcry if this had taken place just ten years later. All seven boys parents did complain to the school. Not because they had got three on the bare bottom for not having kit. Not thatthey were made to do it nude and seen by outside people. Both these seemed to be acceptable. The complaint was they were made to do the run in school shoes which had ben ruined running in the mud and water. The school did pay for new shoes.
For cross country we sometimes had a handicap system. The ones who as a rule came last were given a head start based on the time they took last time. So the last winner was set off last. This did give everybody a fair chance and everybody really had to run hard, including me. The last three were give a “fun” slippering. The first three were given the gym shoe and the last three had to bend over in turn and take one from each of the winners on their shorts. Of course, so boys did it really hard while others just gave a little tap.
We often had team games. Team games were mostly when two classes were combined making 32 boys. The teacher had a hat with bricks numbered 1-32 and would pick them out 4 at a time to form 8 teams. The trouble was you just knew that if you had one of the useless boys in your team your stood a good chance of having to take a fun slippering at the end. If your team won a race you got 1 point right down to 8 points for the one that came last. The team who had least points were presented with a “fun” slipper. The team that was last had to bend over in turn and take one on the shorts from each member of the winning team…..that being four each. They could avoid this by selecting the game they had done best in and go head to head with the winning team overall, just for that game. Very few opted ever for this as if the ones that came last won they were let off, but if they lost, they still only got four but had it on the bare bottom. Very few ever went for this.
In the changing room you had to be silent as well as in the showers. All boys had to shower and if any did not or come out with mud still on them they were sent back to shower again and got two of Fred. The excuse of not having a towel was never accepted and you had to use your top or shorts to dry yourself. I recall once that I was caught talking and was already fully dressed. The teacher did not make me drop my trousers and pants but said he would deal with me after I had a shower next time before I got dressed. As I recall it was the last lesson before we broke for Easter holiday. We returned three weeks later and I had forgotten all about it, but not the teacher. As I left the showers he called me over and reminded me I was due a slippering. It was bend over and two stingers with Fred on my bare bottom to start the term.
The PE teacher had three hates. He hated boys that produced a letter from mum asking them to be excused games or showers. He also hated boys that were afraid to get dirty and would run away from the ball. His big hate was those that tried to be teachers pets and tell tales on others. I, and a lot of boys liked him for those, but of course others dreaded pe and hated him. I had one boy that always produced the letter at the end of the lesson to be excused showers. This went on for nearly two terms as I recall. Then, after one lesson he started to dress without the letter and the teacher asked him for it. He could not produce it. The teacher had none of it and made him undress and have a shower. On his way out of the showers we all smirked as he was made to bend over and Fred went twice on his bare bottom. His mum came in to complain but the teacher told her, no letter he had to shower, and as he had no letter it was skipping showers so got two whacks. He always had the letter in his blazer pocket but on a search it was found right at the bottom of his bag in a book. Many of us saw the teacher go into the changing room at the end of the lesson before us and the feeling was he had taken it from his blazer and hidden it in his bag. At rugby he always demonstrated how to tackle on one of these weak boys who did not like getting dirty and it always seemed they fell over when he tackled them right in a pool of mud. When these boys were to get a “fun” slippering he kind of encourage us to really whack their bottoms hard and of course we did not need much encouraging to really whack them. It was cruel but we all looked upon it as fun as they did have a chance, a slim chance, of doing it to us.
May sound as if a lot of slippering took place with Fred from the teacher. In actual fact not a great deal. You soon learnt the rules and were very much aware of what would happen if you broke the rules. He accepted no excuse it was short down and your bare bottom slippered. Even boys who as a rule never did anything wrong, as soon as they did, it was shorts down and Fred cracked across their bare bottom. It was because he had no favourites that we liked him. Sure he whacked us and it hurt but we were all treated the same. The “fun” slippering was as the name suggested a bit of fun but it made everybody try. Of course I like most relished the chance of getting a chance to whack a tell tale and I did it hard.
In 1960 – 70 Pe was in actual fact broken up into three sections. These being 2 periods of gym/exercise a week in the gym…..one double lesson of swimming and one afternoon of games. The games played in prep schools at this time were football, rugby, cross country, basketball, rounders, cricket, stool ball, athletics and various team games. This was a very competitive era where winning was very important. Being a runner up was regarded as being the first looser.
Pe teachers were either a pupils favourite teacher or the most hated and dreaded. Pe teachers were well known for the use of the slipper. Not the black slip on type, which was used for “fun” slippering, but a very large house slipper with a thick but fairly flexible leather sole. The top of the slipper was cut off to make it easier for the teacher to hold and more flexible. My teacher, like most had a name for his slipper and he called hid “Fred”. This for the slightest offence would be whacked once or twice across a boys bottom and at times three whacks were given. Each whack, due to the large size of the sole would get nearly every tiny part of a boys bottom when it was whacked. The sting was very intense, but short lived as was the large red mark it left.
In this period most schools did swimming. We had our own pool and had an 8o minute session a week. Unless playing a game no talking was the rule in the pool. For those that offended they had to lean and grasp the rail that lead from the footbath to the pool and take on or two whacks with Fred. Two things highlighted swimming in those days. Firstly, the water was cold. It was indoors but was not heated, nor was the building housing the pool. It was freezing in winter and you were often shivering. You had to have a shower before entering the pool area and this was always cold. Swimming lessons were great in the summer but due to the cold unpleasant in the winter. At this time swimming was done in the nude (if interested can explain why) and indeed in some private prep schools that have their own pool this is still the case today, but rare. The two biggest offences you could commit in the lesson was running around the pool or pushing others in. All other offences got you one or two of the slipper but these offences got you three whacks which was very painful. It was of course on your bare bottom, and still today I cannot workout why the slipper applied to your bare bottom when it was wet hurt more than when it was dry!!!
The two lessons in the gym were basically exercises or fitness games for one lesson. The other was basic gym, doing things on thick rubber mats, climbing ropes, using the climbing frame, vaulting box and benches. The mat you landed on for vaulting was made of horse hair or coir and was like a door mat.
For these lessons the only item of clothing that was allowed was a thin pair of white cotton shorts. You were topless and bare footed as well as pants not being allowed. Unless you were playing a game no talking was allowed. Break the rule and it was shorts down, hands on knees and one or two whacks with Fred on the bare bottom. Club swinging was a popular form of exercise as was skipping and circuit training.
The games in the gym were tough “real boys games” and not designed for softies. I will describe the games if asked if you do nt know them, but most were banned in State schools by mid 1980’s but lived on in private schools. We played such games as British Bull Dogs, Pirates, Murder Ball, Tug Ball, Slipper Chaise, floor wrestling and at times boxing.
Boxing was carried out without any protection at all. A bloody noise or cut lip were fairly common but boys and parents did not complain. It was designed to toughen boys up. A contest was none stop until the teacher thought it was enough. Falling to the floor did not get the fight stopped and you had to stand up and carry on. Some of the “weeds” use to take a real thumping from us stronger ones. The most serious rule to break was to give a punch below the waist. The contest was stopped and the boy encouraged to get on his feet. The teacher then gave the boy who had taken the low punch a gym shoe. The boy who had given the low punch was then made to drop shorts and bend over so that the boy who took the low punch could give him three whacks on the bare bottom with the gym shoe . Of course you could be lucky or unlucky. The boy with the slipper may just tap your bottom three times, but at times the boy would really whack your bottom. It may only be a tiny gym shoe but if done hard certainly hurt. I accidently gave a low punch once and the boy really disliked me. He really gave me three as hard as he could….gosh it hurt.
Often games were one against one. The winner being presented with the slipper to give the looser one whack which was on shorts. The looser could ask for double or quits. Most times it was a re-match. If the boy won he was spared the whack but if he lost he got two on his shorts from the winner. The looser had one last chance which a few did take and ask for the “challenge” . Here the looser was given a basket ball and one shot to score a basket. If he managed it he was let off the two whacks, but if he failed he had to drop his shorts and the winner give two on the bare bottom. If sounds horrid really but most of us regarded it as fun, and nobody ever complained. When you lost a lot depended on who was going to whack your bottom. A lot just gave you a tap which was allowed, others really hit you. It was a good chance for us to get our own back on the class snitch/tell tale that may have got us the cane from the teacher. Needless to say nobody held back when whacking that boy, and of course it did happen that you got whacked more than once in a lesson. I recall, that I lost two games of tug ball, both against boys who did not like me….they hit me hard. It was all about being competitive, never giving up and taking what you had coming. We did get a few damaged fingers but the most serious was a broken arm, but that was just dismissed as one of those things. Of course the “fun” slipper did not hurt like Fred and unless you went for the challenge was on your shorts. The secret was to bend over just far enough to get hands on your knees so your shorts were baggy and tried to hold your bottom in: this cushioned the whack and took a lot of sting out of the whack. The other way was to really get your shorts really tight across your bottom, as that also reduced the sting. The worse thing was to bend over and your bottom just touching your shorts. If the boy did it hard it was what we called a “real bum stinger”
Forgetting shorts for these lessons was an offence punished with Fred. The first time you forgot your shorts we were lent a very large pair that you had to hold up or they fell down. That was your punishment. The second time in a year your were given the shorts again but had to “pay” with ne of Fred on your bare bottom. Forget a third time it was the same but two of Fred done bare. Both these whackings given at the end of the lesson. Forget for a fourth time it was THREE of Fred at the end of the lesson while you reached over the vaulting box and you really got it on your bare bottom. In addition to this you had, and I do not joke, do the lesson in the nude.
Games outdoors had a kit for most sports and wrong/no kit was punished the same way. Cross country I did enjoy because I was very good at it. A lot hated it more than anything. You just had trainers, socks, thin shorts and a very thin running vest. It made no difference how cold it was or how hard it was running cross country was never cancelled. Track suits, gloves and alike were not allowed Forget your running vest, regardless of how cold it was (wonder why we did not all die of cold) you did it topless and at the end it was shorts down and two of Fred on your bottom. You had the whole run to think about those two whacks at the end. Again,if you forgot you were punished like in the gym. I recall in the spring term, a group of 7 boys forgot to look at the notice board the day before and did not have any outdoor kit. We all found it amusing that rather than being lent kit and getting two again, got the full indoor punishment. Yes. No joking they had, in the cold, do the run in the nude. The course was in the grounds but a footpath followed the fence and many a person must have seen these 7 running in the nude apart for a pair of outdoor shoes. After the race it was bend over and three of Fred applied to each of their bare bottoms. Their would have been an outcry if this had taken place just ten years later. All seven boys parents did complain to the school. Not because they had got three on the bare bottom for not having kit. Not thatthey were made to do it nude and seen by outside people. Both these seemed to be acceptable. The complaint was they were made to do the run in school shoes which had ben ruined running in the mud and water. The school did pay for new shoes.
For cross country we sometimes had a handicap system. The ones who as a rule came last were given a head start based on the time they took last time. So the last winner was set off last. This did give everybody a fair chance and everybody really had to run hard, including me. The last three were give a “fun” slippering. The first three were given the gym shoe and the last three had to bend over in turn and take one from each of the winners on their shorts. Of course, so boys did it really hard while others just gave a little tap.
We often had team games. Team games were mostly when two classes were combined making 32 boys. The teacher had a hat with bricks numbered 1-32 and would pick them out 4 at a time to form 8 teams. The trouble was you just knew that if you had one of the useless boys in your team your stood a good chance of having to take a fun slippering at the end. If your team won a race you got 1 point right down to 8 points for the one that came last. The team who had least points were presented with a “fun” slipper. The team that was last had to bend over in turn and take one on the shorts from each member of the winning team…..that being four each. They could avoid this by selecting the game they had done best in and go head to head with the winning team overall, just for that game. Very few opted ever for this as if the ones that came last won they were let off, but if they lost, they still only got four but had it on the bare bottom. Very few ever went for this.
In the changing room you had to be silent as well as in the showers. All boys had to shower and if any did not or come out with mud still on them they were sent back to shower again and got two of Fred. The excuse of not having a towel was never accepted and you had to use your top or shorts to dry yourself. I recall once that I was caught talking and was already fully dressed. The teacher did not make me drop my trousers and pants but said he would deal with me after I had a shower next time before I got dressed. As I recall it was the last lesson before we broke for Easter holiday. We returned three weeks later and I had forgotten all about it, but not the teacher. As I left the showers he called me over and reminded me I was due a slippering. It was bend over and two stingers with Fred on my bare bottom to start the term.
The PE teacher had three hates. He hated boys that produced a letter from mum asking them to be excused games or showers. He also hated boys that were afraid to get dirty and would run away from the ball. His big hate was those that tried to be teachers pets and tell tales on others. I, and a lot of boys liked him for those, but of course others dreaded pe and hated him. I had one boy that always produced the letter at the end of the lesson to be excused showers. This went on for nearly two terms as I recall. Then, after one lesson he started to dress without the letter and the teacher asked him for it. He could not produce it. The teacher had none of it and made him undress and have a shower. On his way out of the showers we all smirked as he was made to bend over and Fred went twice on his bare bottom. His mum came in to complain but the teacher told her, no letter he had to shower, and as he had no letter it was skipping showers so got two whacks. He always had the letter in his blazer pocket but on a search it was found right at the bottom of his bag in a book. Many of us saw the teacher go into the changing room at the end of the lesson before us and the feeling was he had taken it from his blazer and hidden it in his bag. At rugby he always demonstrated how to tackle on one of these weak boys who did not like getting dirty and it always seemed they fell over when he tackled them right in a pool of mud. When these boys were to get a “fun” slippering he kind of encourage us to really whack their bottoms hard and of course we did not need much encouraging to really whack them. It was cruel but we all looked upon it as fun as they did have a chance, a slim chance, of doing it to us.
May sound as if a lot of slippering took place with Fred from the teacher. In actual fact not a great deal. You soon learnt the rules and were very much aware of what would happen if you broke the rules. He accepted no excuse it was short down and your bare bottom slippered. Even boys who as a rule never did anything wrong, as soon as they did, it was shorts down and Fred cracked across their bare bottom. It was because he had no favourites that we liked him. Sure he whacked us and it hurt but we were all treated the same. The “fun” slippering was as the name suggested a bit of fun but it made everybody try. Of course I like most relished the chance of getting a chance to whack a tell tale and I did it hard.
