The first day of my second year at Grammar School started as all the other years I was there. We all assembled in the school hall and the headmaster talked about the year to come and the different things that were going to happen in that time. He talked particularly to the fifth and sixth years who had exams at the end of the year and he welcomed the new boys and as on every other occasion that I stood there he made very clear his views on good behaviour, hard work and the punishments that would result from a failure to achieve a high standard of either.
Punishments only meant two things to every boy present, the cane or the strap. The headmaster had made clear on lots of occasions his view that punishments needed to be sharp and severe and that they needed to give a clear message to the boy concerned that either his behaviour or work were not acceptable. The headmaster would not allow punishments that wasted time and as such detentions were out, nor would he allow those that involved extra work as work was meant to be enjoyed and it should never be seen as a punishment so the strap or cane it was no matter what the offence. The choice of which to use rested with the teacher using it and as neither, according to education authority rules could be given on the hands it was always across the bottom.
During my first year at school with one exception when I was strapped by Mr Pelham the Sports Master, the canings were not too bad. Generally, four strokes would be given, generally not too hard and over trousers and while they would sting at the time, throb for a couple of hours and there would be marks for three or four days we regarded it all as part of school life and growing up, certainly no one complained and there was almost a sense of pride in having some evidence of stripes on your bottom when getting changed for sports or afterwards in the showers. Of course, sometimes more than four strokes were given and then there was generally more force applied and naturally more stinging and throbbing followed and the marks lasted longer. The only teachers who did not give either the cane or the strap were the two women on the staff, one taught music and the other French. They would both send the boy concerned to Mr Wood who was in charge of discipline and he would deal with the offender and he sometimes gave punishments for other teachers and always caned for the headmaster. There was a good reason for this, the headmaster was a small man approaching sixty, Mr Wood was 6'2", in his mid thirties and very strong and a caning from him was always going to be more severe than one from the headmaster. Mr Wood clearly believed in the value and use of the cane and was known to never let a boy off if a caning was called for, neither did he warn that it might happen, he simply called out the name of the boy misbehaving and caned him.
During my first year I had not been taught by Mr Wood, he taught history and generally only to the fourth, fifth and sixth forms, he was however always a form master to one of the second year forms, generally the lowest stream who were acknowledged to be one of the rowdiest in the school and a year with Mr Wood was seen as something that would calm almost anyone down. It was always said, though I didn't know anyone who had been given one, that Mr Wood always gave bare bottom canings at the front of the classroom and always at least eight strokes. He also always used a senior cane which was longer and heavier but just as flexible as the junior cane more commonly in use in the lower school. I had been given four strokes of the senior cane once in my first year for failing to complete my homework in time by Mr Stephens the maths teacher and it certainly hurt quite a lot more than four strokes he had given me with the junior cane two weeks earlier for talking in class. I had also had eight whacks of the strap from Mr Pelham in the first year, he always gave bare bottom strappings, that had certainly stung a lot more than four strokes of the cane.
The headmaster had begun to read out the names of the boys in each class and when he finished reading the boys names, he would name the form master. The class then left the hall with their form master. The list was read out in the same way as it had been the year before starting with the sixth form and working down the school. Sometimes hearing the name of a particular teacher was a relief that we were not going to have him as form master and sometimes it was the name of someone that would have been good. At last the headmaster got to the second year, I was sure that I was in the top stream and was not surprised when my name was called, I joined the line and wondered who the form master would be. The headmaster was nearly finished reading the end of the alphabetical list, 'Taylor, Turner and Wilson,' each joined the line, 'and your form master will be Mr Wood,' concluded the headmaster. There was a gasp, no one had expected this, Mr Wood strode to the front of the line and announced crisply, 'follow me, in silence.'
We left the hall and followed Mr Wood, no one uttered a word we were all shocked, no one expected that we would have Mr Wood as form master, what on earth would he be like?
We arrived at the form room and Mr Wood halted the line at the door. 'You will enter the room, take desks in alphabetical order and sit in silence while I collect a new register and some books,' he said. We moved into the room and sat silently. No one missed the senior cane, a three foot long, half inch thick yellow rattan with the traditional curve at one end, that was already lying across the teachers desk and no one was in a hurry to try it out.
Mr Wood returned after about ten minutes and started to talk about the year and his expectations of us, he told us that unusually, he would be teaching us history. In addition, he made clear that there was no room for either work that was less than each boy was able to achieve or for any sort of poor conduct or misbehaviour. These things would be dealt with if they occurred and no one should have any doubt that he would be making use of the cane on each occasion that it was warranted, making clear from his point of view, what he saw to be the value of the cane in giving a clear message to the boy concerned that things must improve. 'Neither do I see the value in a punishment that does not cause pain and discomfort,' he added, 'as such, if I cane you I will give you at least eight strokes across your bare bottom.' There was a gasp, so it was true that Mr Wood was as severe as his reputation.
The morning wore on and we learned of the timetable that we would follow for the year, Mr Wood reading out the days, times, classes and teachers that we would have. We were covering Thursday afternoon when I missed what he said. Turning to Quinn who was across the aisle I asked what had been said, he told me that it was a geography class.
Immediately Mr Wood pounced. 'Philips, Quinn, your talking, I don't know why or what about, I don't need to know, you shouldn't be, if you have a question, you ask me, so take off your jackets and come to the front for eight strokes of the cane.'
I froze, I couldn't believe it, I had only asked a trivial question. Mr Wood had put down his book and was standing taking off his own jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He cleared the desk of books and picked up the cane. We started to move forward, there was absolute silence as we stood at the front of the room.
'I thought that it was clear that I don't tolerate misconduct of any sort,' said Mr Wood, 'however, there is always someone who seems to think differently and that someone invariably ends up in trouble but rarely as quickly as you two have managed this morning. I am going to give you each eight strokes of the cane, you will bend over the desk, if you stand up before I finish, move or place your hands on your bottom I will start at the beginning again, when I have caned you, you will stand at the front of the room with your hands on your head until lunch time, is that clear?'
'Yes sir,' we both replied.
'Philips, I think you spoke first and I will cane you first, drop your trousers and underpants and bend over the desk.' I moved forward and started to undo my trousers, facing the blackboard so that my bottom was on full view to the class. Mr Wood stood, bending the cane, at times almost double as though making it more flexible. I bent forward over the desk, aware that my heart was pounding and my hands were moist. 'Bend further and open your legs wider,' said Mr Wood. I bent as far as I could and opened my legs, aware that my bottom was more exposed. Mr Wood was now behind me and I felt him flick my shirt out of the way with the cane, he tapped it against the inside of my knees, 'open your legs wider, at least another foot,' he added. I opened my legs as far as I could, my bottom now totally exposed.
I saw Mr Wood move to my left side and take up position about three feet away. 'Right, here comes the first stroke,' he said. I saw him raise the cane. There was a huge swish and I caught site of a yellow blurr followed by a loud crack, my bottom exploded with pain, I gasped and I heard the swish again as the second stroke landed with biting force just below the first. The pain was intense and I was aware of no other sensation that my blazing bottom, the third stroke landed below the second. I was gasping for breath, I wanted to scream with pain but couldn't, my eyes filled with tears. The fourth stroke landed right across the crease of my under-bottom producing a whole new sensation of burning in the tops of my legs. The fifth stroke landed right on the crown, I still couldn't cry out but tears were pouring from my eyes. I saw through my tears the yellow blurr again and the sixth stroke crossed over the others causing each one to blaze more, the seventh caught me again right on the under-bottom and then I did manage to cry out, the eighth was placed across all the existing weals below the crown, causing a level of pain that I could never have imagined. Tears were running down my face as Mr Wood told me to get up. I stood up slowly and pulled up my trousers and underpants, feeling briefly the weals that had been soft skin five minutes earlier. I fastened my trousers and placed my hands on my head and stood at the front of the room suddenly aware that now I was standing that parts of my bottom that were exposed while I was bent over with my legs open were now rubbing together where the cane had landed adding to the pain.
Quinn was getting into position across the desk, he was also being made to adjust his position and open his legs wide, just as I had. I heard the cane swish and the crack of the first stroke landing and Joe howl as it did, he went on to howl more with each stroke and I was suddenly glad that I had kept quiet. I heard the cane swish and crack until all eight strokes had been given and then Joe was standing next to me, tears in his eyes too. Standing there with hands on our heads was awful, I wanted to rub my blazing, throbbing bottom to find some relief. Nearly an hour later the lunch bell rang and Mr Wood dismissed the class and left the room. Immediately I let my aching arms drop and rubbed my bottom, clearly feeling the weals like I never had before. Neither Joe or I could sit that day and I slept that night on my stomach. The following morning we had a sports class and Joe and I certainly had stripes like we had not had before and no one had ever seen as we displayed our trophies, lingering over changing and showering.
Before the year was over, Mr Wood caned every boy in the class and some of us more than once. He caned me a few more times over the coming years and every time it was similar the only difference being that he sometimes gave twelve strokes!!