Shortly after the turn of the new century the British government introduced a revolutionary institution to the nation. To curb rising crime among juveniles and young adults, enormous Man Camps were built in many major towns and cities. After school age it became compulsory for all able bodied young men to attend one of these camps between the ages of sixteen and twenty two. The camps often housed up to ten thousand men in dormitory style barracks known as 'houses'. Each house accommodated fifty men aged sixteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty one and twenty two. Eighteen and nineteen year olds were elsewhere carrying out national service in the armed forces.
The camps covered a vast area, no expense had been spared in creating them, they each had swimming pools, gymnasiums, class rooms, technical teaching rooms and sports fields. As well as dining rooms, seminar theatres, staff barracks and administration buildings.
Each camp was governed by a Principal and each house watched over by a house master. The epicentre of the Central England Camp was an open square with an enormous building on each side. One building housed the main administration centre and Principals office, another building was home to the staff quarters, the third and largest building of all housed a maze of classrooms and study rooms. The fourth building was the smallest, and most ominous looking building in the square, covered in dark glass this six storey building was the discipline block.
The barracks spread out in all directions around the main block of buildings. Each barrack had it own private entrance at one end, the dormitory beds were filed in rows along either side of the room and at the far end of the room was what was known as the boot room, a room which had its own entrance from outside where men could take off muddy boots and clothes before entering the dormitory, in the boot room there was a small padded A-frame where swift justice was administered for petty misdemeanours. Above the boot room was a suite of small rooms that was the home of the house master, the house masters rooms had windows that overlooked the main dormitory. Beyond the boot room on the ground floor was the men's shower room. The shower room was huge, ten dormitories entered onto one shower room, every morning this room was full with up to five hundred naked men showering and shaving getting ready for the day ahead.
Charles Grove was house master to Red House, Charles was only in his early thirties and had gone through the Man Camp regime himself. Unlike many of the house masters who were drafted in from prisons, schools and army bases at the creation of the Camps, Charles knew what really went on there and had a great advantage over other staff members.
It was January 2nd, the beginning of a new Camp year, boys who had passed their sixteenth birthday during the last year were newly interned to the Camp and Charles had ten of them in his house.
Each house master appoints a prefect to maintain discipline within the house and organise the men when necessary. The house men in turn elect a house captain to be his number two and to look after the interests of the men. Charles had thought long and hard about who was to be his prefect, it had been custom to appoint one of the twenty one year olds, but this time he had decided to break with tradition and appoint a man who was only twenty; James Huxley, James was well built, six feet two, blond hair with an all over tan. James was the life and soul of the house and it would be good for morale if he were appointed. James was fair and would not abuse his position of authority, and so it was decided James Huxley would be prefect for Red House and number one assistant to Charles Grove.
James was of course delighted with his appointment, although it brings a great deal of responsibility being House Prefect also brings with it a great number of perks. Charles announced James' appointment to the other men as they assembled in their dormitory on that first day of the new term. Accordingly James began to conduct an election for House Captain, every member of the house, except the new boys and those undertaking national service were permitted one vote, there were four nominations, all of them twenty one year old men. David Patterson was duly elected, it had been a close vote but, six feet Charles, with his broad hairy chest and stocky frame had won fairly and squarely and so became house captain. The two beds nearest the boot room were by tradition that of the House Prefect and House Captain and the other beds were allocated according to Mr. Groves' instructions, a sixteen year old, a seventeen year old, a twenty year old and a twenty one year old alternately. The sixteen year old new boys had not yet joined the rest of the house, they were undergoing induction in another part of the camp.
The men settled in, and unpacked their regulation uniform and kits into their one locker between each bed. Sixteen and seventeen year olds (referred to as 'boys') wore grey linen shorts, a white shirt, grey socks and a grey blazer with a house cap and tie. Those who had completed their national service (called men) wore long trousers and no cap, but the rest of the uniform was the same. Each man and boy was required to have two complete uniforms and two complete sports kits including white shorts and socks and house coloured shorts, socks and rugby jersey as well as football boots and gym shoes.
The men and boys were in good spirit after they had unpacked and did not hear the House Masters' sharp whistle as he descended the stairs from his room into the dormitory, After the second whistle Charles yelled for them to stand to attention, and all forty who were present duly did so. Charles, James and David were conducting a kit inspection to be sure that their house started the year on the right foot. Each locker was opened and James read the approved list aloud as the owner of the locker pointed to the item concerned. Some of the boys had left items in the dormitory at the end of the previous year and so James knew there would be few items missing. Jeremy Jones a nervous seventeen year old also knew he did not have a complete kit, "two pairs red shorts" James read, red shorts were this houses house colour, Jeremy could only point to one pair of red shorts, he had also lost one white sock and a pair of red socks. Four items were missing from this boys kit and David made the appropriate note in his book. Jeremy was not the only one with kit missing, and was not the only one to have his name entered in David's book.
"Because you did not assemble to attention upon hearing my first whistle you will all receive an appropriate reprimand yelled Charles to the two facing rows of men in front of him. "Assume the position", the men and boys without hesitation began to undress, all punishments were taken nude, and bent over the end of their beds, exposing their bare asses for the caning they were due to receive. David and James then walked down the two rows of naked men, administering three sharp whacks across the backside of every man. They did not spare the rod, for if they were caught favouring one of their underlings then their own fate would be far worse. After each of the men had received his punishment, Charles shouted the names of the men who had failed to produce a full kit and instructed them to enter the boot room, the rest were ordered to dress.
In the boot room stood two seventeen year old boys, three twenty year old men and two twenty one year old men. All seven stood completely naked to attention. David then called their names, age and announced their crimes and punishment; "Jeremy Jones, year 17, four items of sports kit missing, twelve strokes", Jeremy knew the drill, he bent over the padded A-frame and James cuffed his wrist and ankles to the floor on either side. Charles chose a boys cane from the cane cupboard and after a couple swishes in the air began laying into Jeremy's white bottom. Barely two hours into the new year term and already Jeremy had received three strokes from a house cane and was now facing up to twelve strokes with a harder cane. After the punishment was over David and James untied him and a very shaken, almost in tears young man stood up, turned to Mr. Grove, shook his hand and thanked him. When ordered Jeremy returned to the row to watch the other six endure similar fates. Each one received three strokes for each item of kit they had missing although the men received their thrashing from a much harder Mans cane. Timothy Jackson was one of the men, who could not believe he was there, aged twenty one, Timothy had felt the cane before, but not for some time and now here he was, naked, tied to a caning frame and about to receive a spanking from a man just a few years older than himself, Timothy had been in line to be a house prefect and was one of the nominations for house captain, his chiselled good looks and tanned muscles had made him a popular choice among the men. Timothy had developed a solid eight inch erection while watching the earlier canings, this was nothing out of the ordinary, everyone in the room had seen another mans erection and had often displayed their own in company. Tim's _c_o_c_k_ was brushing against the padding as sweat dripped from the long black hairs on his chest and from his forehead as he took in silence the nine hard blows from the heavy cane.
Once the punishments were over the men returned to their beds and dressed into full uniform in silence, the only noise came from the men who had been instructed to show around the ten sixteen year olds who had just arrived from their induction meeting.