After the thrashing I had given Craig and Robert for stealing crisps from the school shop the boys' behaviour, unsurprisingly, had been good. The summer holidays were approaching and I was anticipating an improvement in the boys school reports. I had punished them all at the end of the previous term because their reports suggested they were all somewhat badly behaved. I had repeatedly made it clear throughout the present term that they could expect more of the same if their reports this time did not show an improvement. I regularly checked their schoolwork and was reasonably satisfied with the effort they seemed to be putting in. On one occasion I had needed to threaten Stephen with a beating when he had left some homework until the last minute but apart from that incident I was reasonably pleased.
Two weeks before the end of term the school's staff had what was referred to as a training day with the result that the children were all given an extra day off at the weekend. A friend of mine, a farmer in Northamptonshire, had offered us the use of his home as he and his wife were away on holiday. I readily accepted his kind offer and on the Friday after school the 3 boys and I packed a few clothes, got into the car, and drove off for our weekend away. It was the first proper holiday the boys had ever had and they were very excited about the prospect. I had given the lads a lecture prior to our departure. I explained that we were staying in someone else's home and that I expected them to treat it with respect. Also we were to be staying on a working farm and I told the boys to do everything the farmworkers told them to do.
We arrived shortly after 6 and, having been given the key of the farmhouse by my friend's foreman, entered our weekend home. I prepared a quick snack and, after we had eaten, there was a knock on the door. I answered it and the foreman entered the house. He said he had arranged with a couple of the hands to show the boys around the farm and that, while they were doing that, he would take me to the local pub. The boys were delighted they were to see real live animals and the foreman said he would return with the farmhands in about 30 minutes. I told the boys to be on their very best behaviour and to do exactly as they were told.
Eventually the farmhands arrived, as did the foreman. The boys went off to explore the farm and I went off to the pub. We drank a couple of pints and then decided to return to the house as it as was now just after 9 and the boys would have to go to bed. We arrived back at the house just as the farmhands were bringing the 3 lads back from their tour. I asked if they had behaved themselves and was told they had. On that note the boys were sent to bed and told they could see some more of the farm the next day.
Next day the boys were up bright and early and asked if they could go out and look around. The workers who had taken them out the previous day had said it would be alright for the children to go out on their own providing they kept out of fenced areas. After breakfast I told the boys they could go out but instructed them to keep out of areas that were fenced off. 3 excited young lads trotted off into the summer sun. They noticed a field in which were a small herd of cows and their calves. It was fenced off and so the boys, as instructed stayed out. There was a gate which they were tempted to go through but as they could be seen by the farmhands nearby they decided it was best to stay out, although they really wanted to get closer to the calves. Unknown to me of course they decided it would be alright to go into the field through the gate but not while the workers were there.
Eventually they returned to the farmhouse. In the late afternoon we went for a stroll in the surrounding woods before returning for a late tea. It was still light and the boys asked if they could go out again. I agreed, again telling them to behave. I sat in front of the television and decided to watch a film that was being shown. The boys went straight back to the cow field. The cattle were beginning to settle down for the evening and the 3 boys were peering over the gate looking at the scene. Nobody was around, the farmhands having retired for the evening. It would be so easy to slip through the gate and stroke the calves. Temptation always wins in cases like this and the gate was opened and carefully and quietly the 3 lads slipped into the field. Unfortunately the cattle were not quite so calm about the issue. Seeing 3 strangers in their field they started to panic and ran from where the boys were standing. The gate through which the boys had walked had not been latched and now swung open. The leading cow noticing this escape route took advantage and trotted through the gap. The boys were horrified and ran back to the gate to shut it. Unfortunately at least 5 other cows and 3 or 4 calves had got through before the boys could get there. The three lads looked at each other horrified by what had happened. They knew if I found out they would be thrashed severely. They reasoned however that as no one had seen them they could not be blamed for the episode. They turned and ran back to the farmhouse unaware that an elderly gentleman from the nearby village, out walking his dog, had seen the whole episode and was making his way back home to telephone the foreman that some of his cattle were loose.
The boys arrived back home and decided to go straight to bed. Although it was still only about 8.30 I assumed they were tired after an invigorating day and thought no more of it. Meanwhile the dog walker had arrived home, phoned the foreman and told him he had seen 3 boys in the field and the cows were loose. The foreman phoned 2 of his senior hands and began to round up the escaped beasts. After about 30 minutes the cattle had all been restored to the field. The foreman then made his way to the house and I was a little surprised when I heard a rap on the door and even more astonished when I saw who it was.
"Sorry to trouble you, but have your lads been out this evening" he asked. I told him they had and he then told me what had happened. I was furious. The description of the boys given by the dog walker exactly fitted my three. I apologised profusely to the farm foreman and promised him I would deal with the matter immediately. He bid me good night and I stormed upstairs to the big bedroom where the 3 boys were in bed.
"GET UP NOW, ALL OF YOU" I yelled at the top of my voice. Three frightened boys who had heard the knock and snippets of the conversation downstairs jumped out of bed and stood in a line.
"DOWNSTAIRS NOW" I ordered and the three boys wearing only their briefs in which they slept proceeded down the stairs to the sitting room. I told them to stand to attention as I shouted and ranted at them about their stupidity and disobedience. I usually used a cane to punish the children but this was back at home. However just across the yard there was an old stable building in which I had noticed earlier hung a horsewhip. The stable was disused, no horses now being kept on the farm, and the horsewhip had obviously been left behind. I strode from the house, entered the stable and located the whip. Turning around I returned to the house and was met by the wide eyed stares of 3 petrified children all looking at the fearful instrument I held in my hand.
"STRIP NAKED ALL OF YOU" I commanded and the 3 boys stepped out of their briefs. I ordered the 6 year old, Robert, to step towards me. I grasped the tearful child by an arm and held him down over the arm of the chair in which a few minutes before I had been resting. Pausing only to take aim I cracked the whip across his behind. He squealed. A second lash, then a third and a further pitiful scream. I noticed the child was wetting himself, a trickle of urine was running down his leg onto the carpet. Unmoved I continued with a fourth stroke, then a fifth. Robert was now screaming for leniency at the top of his voice but I decided the boys would never forget this punishment. I had decided on six for Robert and the last lash was laid firmly across the now reddened rear. I pulled the sobbing brat upright and ordered him to stand in the corner, hands on head.
I next called Stephen, the 8 year old, to me. He had also wet himself, presumably when watching his younger brother's punishment. I yanked Stephen over the same chair and proceeded to deliver his whipping. He would get 8 although he didn't know it yet. The first lash brought forth the expected wail of pain. The screaming and pitiful pleading gradually rose to a crescendo as the number of lashes increased. He was sobbing and crying for me to stop but I had to show that today's misbehaviour would not be tolerated. I continued whipping Stephen's behind until all 8 had been administered when I told him to put his hands on his head and join his younger brother in the corner.
The eldest boy, Craig, was crying openly now. He knew that, as the eldest, I expected him to show an example to his brothers and clearly he was fearful of an even worse punishment than they had received. He had been punished more often than his siblings and was now tearfully expecting the worse. I had decided to whip Craig 12 times and now ordered him to step towards me. He tearfully complied and without waiting for me to put him over the chair he fell over the arm and stretched out to grasp the arm opposite. I began whipping my eldest son and after the third lash he was screaming for forgiveness. The whip was clearly reinforcing the lesson I had to teach as with each further stroke Craig's back arched and a cry of pain came from his mouth. I decided the last four of Craig's punishment would be across his legs, below the level of his shorts, so that the marks would be visible to show the farm workers I had treated this matter seriously. After the eighth across his bottom I switched my aim to the legs and cracked the whip firmly across them. Craig's feet left the ground as he jumped with the pain but, fearful of receiving even further strokes, he quickly composed himself. I delivered the last 3 across his legs, oblivious to his cries and pleas, and when finished ordered him to the corner to join his brothers.
I made the boys stay in the corner for about 15 minutes and then told them to fetch soap and water to clean the carpet where they had wet themselves (Craig had also wet himself during his punishment). While they were scrubbing vigorously, still sniffing and weeping, I decided to pack the whip in my case as I felt it would be a useful addition to the other instruments of punishment in my study at home. The marks across the boys' bottoms were highly visible and Craig had four livid marks across the back of his legs. When he went out tomorrow it would be obvious to everyone that the culprits who released the cattle had been caught and punished.