Reminiscences of a Headmaster - 5


by Jamie <Woodthorne@compuserve.com>

Usual disclaimers etc etc. Apologies to those who have written to me for the delay. I hope to get back to transcribing the Prison series in the near term Jamie

Mrs Jamison came to me this morning and told me that she admired my dedication for writing so studiously and thoughtfully. I imagine that she supposes that I am engaged in writing some weighty tome on the principles of education or the history of the Empire or some such. I could not bring myself to tell her that I was simply ruminating over the past and that my thoughts were idle and of no consequence to the Condition of Mankind. I choose to let her remain in blissful ignorance although, I must confess, I shall have to dispose of these notes discretely should I become unwell lest her opinion of me be diminished by her discovery of the truth.

Some days ago when I started jotting down my thoughts I had considered in a little detail the circumstances surrounding my two boys and perhaps omitted some of the details which, upon reflection, are of equal import as the satisfactory outcome in which James now finds himself. It was remiss of me to omit to catalogue the intervening events of which I am aware since they have a clear bearing upon the current circumstances.

Firstly I am moved to complete my mental picture by recalling the content of several conversations that I had with James after he left School for quite some time has since passed including the dreadful years of the Great War.

I empathised with James' _s_e_x_ual predilections and was concerned, as any father might be, about his ability to find an acceptable accommodation for his Nature. Some of our conversations were rather obtuse, some were quarrelsome and yet others were tender and gentle. On balance, James' development might best be described as determined and balanced.

Rather than satisfying his Nature by visiting the tawdry establishments, which I understand do flourish in London, James contrived to secure entrance to Cambridge despite my wish that he attend Oxford. His choice was driven by a desire to further his relationship with Master Alexander Newton and it would seem that the two of them enjoyed a discrete and satisfactory association surrounded by a company of similarly disposed associates.

While James sought during our conversations to avoid explicit descriptions of the nature of this company, I am able to look upon the totality of the information that he imparted over time and might justifiably presume that flagellation as well as unconventional _s_e_x_ual activities dominated their activities. When James first visited me after he had gone up to Cambridge he did so in the company of Alexander Newton whom I had not seen since he had left School. That they were friends did not surprise me for some reason but Master Newton's reference to my "swishing" of him must have raised some slight alarm in my mind for I was surprised by the good humour in which the reference was made. On other occasions, Master Newton might be visiting and take a rather cautious approach to taking a seat when I bade the pair of them sit with me. Little signs amounted to a depth of understanding on my part.

My home, whilst large, does not contain secrets very well and it was during the course of one visit that my understanding was of the nature of their relationship was confirmed. James called out to Alexander regarding something that was amiss and promised that he, Alexander, would not be able to "sit down for a week". Instantly I knew that theirs was a relationship that involved the use of discipline of the form both had been accustomed to at School. I did not enquire as to the details but in my minds eye could see their domestic situation mirroring to some extent at least the scene, which I recall with such detail of their visits to my Study whilst they were students. My only hope is that their experience of chastisement was not directly related to their current predilections.

My concerns on this matter arise because of a conversation that we had at dinner one Sunday during the Great War when all the lads were on leave. William was discussing the matter of maintaining discipline during times of prolonged boredom that apparently characterised the long and drawn out affair. He was comparing the way in which corporal punishment was used to discipline even junior officers as well as the other ranks with the way in which order was maintained at School.

What caught my attention was James and Alexanders' immediate questioning of Edward not about the principles involved but about the details of first hand experiences Edward has witnessed. As Edward obliged with a long discourse regarding the baring of the buttocks of the offender and the measured way in which, it would seem, the most frightful beatings were conducted, I sensed that James and Alexander were securing some vicarious pleasure from the images which William's words painted.

I did not intervene in Edward's discourse but questioned him afterwards as to whether he was exaggerating. He was a little disquieted that I might consider the possibility of his being an exaggerator of the facts and suggested that I was living in too cosseted a world. He advised me that I should get out and see what was really happening.

It was Edward's accusation that led me to discuss the question with our late Chief Constable.

I met his Lordship at the School Speech day for his nephew was to be the recipient of a prize and the grand old man had come to bask in the reflected glory or, perhaps, to offer well warranted congratulations to the youngster. His motives are of no consequence but our discussion led us to the question of "ruling with the rod", a practice in which his Lordship obviously had great faith.

I do not know quite how it happened but, with William's reproach still in my mind, I found myself at the Courts one day during the vacation which followed the Speech Day in the company of his Lordship where my knowledge of the outside world was somewhat expanded. I do recall his Lordship droning on about the need for strong discipline, especially in times of War and during the formative years of a youth's life and my mild irritation with the sermonising. We seemed to walk down endless winding corridors before we came into the weak sunshine of a courtyard where we were announced as being "official witnesses", to what I was only partially clear.

The instrument that stood inside the courtyard made its purpose known to us immediately for it could serve no other useful purpose than to hold in place the body of some victim. His Lordship directed me to seats that were set to one side and I sat down and took in the details of my surroundings.

Unlike my Study, the place was bleak. Its grey stone walls were high and into them were set barred windows behind which undoubtedly various felons were being held. The yard was bare except for the machine known as a "pony" which was a sturdy contraption shaped to present prominently the buttocks of its victim for correction. Leather straps were located at the extremities of the device, clearly for the purpose of ensuring that its occupant might not make an untimely departure from this place.

I pondered this for a few moments, oblivious to the droning of his Lordship, and thought about the relatively mild manner in which my charges were assisted in remaining in position for even the most severe chastisement. Holding down of a boy who was the reluctant recipient of the not so tender mercies of the birch was as close to any form of restraint in the School. I assumed the differing needs of the two institutions - education and the law - derived from circumstances: the first where discipline was expected and the latter where discipline was imposed.

My contemplation of these matters was broken by the arrival of a procession of guards two of whom held a young man of perhaps some twenty-five years by his arms. One guard arrived carrying a fairly stout cane and another a bucked in which was clearly soaking several birches.

I studied the young man's face as his crime was described and the sentence which had been imposed. I saw him pale as the words "twelve strokes of the birch" were announced and the quick glance at the soaking birches, which had been placed to one side of the "pony". That glance seemed to me the sort of irresistible action that a person has despite his desire not to do so.

The young man was taken forward to the "pony" and he was required to remove his shirt and then his trousers completely. Removing his shirt presented the young man with little difficulty but I could see that his hands were shaking as they went to undo the buttons that held his trousers in place. He fumbled a little but, thankfully to my mind, managed to undo them and allowed them to drop to the ground. They were removed as he stepped forward to present his naked body to the solid timber of the "pony" upon which he was to receive a ride that, I am sure, he would never forget.

The man's hands were secured and then his ankles and from my side-on position I could not help but admire the efficiency of the "pony's" design as his buttocks became the most prominent part of his body.

I recall having been surprised that the prisoner has been required to remove his shirt but as a wide leather strap was fastened about his waist it was apparent that the action was designed to ensure that the flagellator would not strike his kidneys.

Having applied the birch to the backsides of a number of boys, I was somewhat disinterested in the proceedings until I saw the force with which the first blow was delivered. As the birch left the scene of the impact, the young man let out a fearful howl and his legs quivered. I knew immediately that this punishment was far too excessive and that, rather than act a deterrent, it would simply brutalise the young man and perhaps make him even more recalcitrant. My mind was in turmoil as the beating continued and the young man's buttocks were turned to something more resembling raw beef than human flesh. I had never expected that the judicial system would condone such barbaric practices and determined that I would seek out my Member of Parliament and protest most strongly at this form of treatment.

My sensibilities were no more assuaged when the young man was replaced by a dark-haired youth who had been sentenced to a caning of some twenty-four strokes for stealing. I watched, numbed and seemingly somewhat detached from my reality, as the lad was prepared in a manner identical to the first and was brought back to the present as the rod first cracked across the naked flesh.

The cane being used was far thicker than those that were employed on my charges and quickly reduced the youth to screams of pain and outrage. I watched as the lad squirmed and saw the telltale signs of a degree of unwanted _s_e_x_ual excitement, which the lad was experiencing as the thrashing continued unabated.

After the lad had been removed and the evidence of his _s_e_x_ual release had been removed, his Lordship indicated that the display was over for the day and he offered me the opportunity to visit with him on another occasion - an offer I declined with as much graciousness as I could muster in the circumstances.

In the days that followed this most unfortunate experience, I contemplated the relationship between judicial punishment and the forms of discipline that were employed by the School. I discussed the matter with one of the Trustees who temporarily assuaged my unease by observing that the criminals were of greater maturity and the crimes of the felons far more serious than those that were encountered at School and that more severe punishments were thus warranted under the judicial system.

I think I was somewhat self-serving in accepting the excuse that had been proffered and remember to this day my consternation when a member of my staff brought before me evidence that one of the students in the Upper Sixth had been engaged in minor larceny. The situation brought my mind immediately back to the judicial caning I had witnessed and the similarities between the two situations.

The youth who had been caned might easily have been the same age as Master David Fairburn who was to present himself to my ministrations and yet I would not comprehend the awarding of a similar punishment. For quite some time I recall pondering the means which might balance justice. My mind raced, for Fairburn had stolen from his students whilst the lad who had been so severely dealt with by the Courts had, presumably, stolen from some anonymous person or storekeeper. Which crime was the greater? To my mind young Fairburn's actions were far more reprehensible and I determined to have him treated with the greatest severity. I summoned the Head Prefect, David Marshall by name, to my Study and advised him of my intentions.

When Fairburn came to my Study I had the impression that he was resigned to being caned or birched and sent down. I watched him carefully as he entered my Study and saw a forlorn look on his rather pretty face. Fairburn was fairly tall, well developed and, academically, quite promising. I did not want to prevent this scholastic development by expulsion so late in his schooling and advised him of this. I also informed Fairburn that he was to be most severely dealt with because of the appalling nature of his offence.

Advised that he was to be caned severely, Fairburn quickly moved to prepare himself by disrobing appropriately. As he bent over the armchair to which I directed him, I could not help but compare his backside to that of the miscreant who had been punished in the gaol courtyard. Both offenders had well developed and prominent, buttocks and both had the firmness of athletic youth. Any unresolved issues in my mind disappeared as I considered the capacity of this young man to absorb the blows that I was about to inflict.

In my mind I can still see quite clearly the flash of the Senior School cane as it leapt to its victim and I can hear the 'crack', which signalled its arrival, and the sharp intake of breath from Master Fairburn as the pain flew from his backside to his brain. In my mind I am certain that I subconsciously applied the cane with greater vigour than might otherwise be the case, for the comparison with the offender at the gaol and the weight of the cane with which he had been beaten was uppermost in my thoughts. I wanted some form of equity to prevail and I applied myself to the task as best I could.

It was not often than a boy would cry out before the first five or six strokes had been delivered but I still recall that my dedication to justice brought an expletive from the throat of Master Fairburn as the fourth stroke was applied. I hesitated, I recall, just for an instant as I contemplated this rare phenomenon but resolved to continue as I had begun to ensure that the boy received a suitable chastisement.

I have no distinct memories of the additional strokes that I applied, whether because of the rather common nature of any caning or because of the considerable attention to hitting the right spot that such an action requires. I pray that my lack of detailed information is not a sign of a failing of my faculties, which I judge to be quite intact as I write.

Of the incident, the most memorable moments came upon the completion of the twelve strokes that I had determined I should apply. Fairburn's posterior was well striped and the welts were rapidly changing from scarlet to purple as he gingerly moved to restore his trousers. The lad's face was a bright red and his eyes puffy from the tears that the experience has produced but he put as brave a face upon the situation as possible as he extended his hand to me in acknowledgement of his acceptance of the punishment. I recall taking his hand and shaking it politely and then, looking directly into his eyes, advising him that the Head Prefect had been directed to administer a further twelve strokes at the end of the week in from of his peers to reflect the abominable nature of his offence.

Fairburn's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this news and he was on the verge of tears as I dismissed him with a direction that he go and wash his face and then report to Marshall, the Head Prefect.

My eldest son, William, by that time a Prefect himself told me the following weekend of the extent of the pain that Master Fairburn demonstrated during his second beating and how his fellow students had little sympathy for his plight. Fairburn, it transpired, had had no need of thievery for he was well supported by his parents and was not well regarded for his predilection towards being a passive partner in _s_e_x_ual relations with other, older, boys. I recall thinking how well proportioned the boy was for this sort of behaviour, no matter how distasteful such activity might be and wondered as to his future.

Today, I read not infrequently of Sir David Fairburn in the "Times" as being a fine surgeon and a happily married father of four boys. Perhaps his experience represented a turning point in his life. I most certainly would like to think this was the case. After the Great War, our Empire is in dire need of medical expertise.


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