Punishment at School – did you get the cane or the ruler?

Phil Gill… It was always the gym slipper at Hastings Grammar School. I was slippered once in five years and I’ve lived opposite the teacher who slippered me for over 30 years now. My house is bigger than his, so I guess I won.

Geoff Peckham… That’s sort of weird, Phil!

Nigel Sherwood… Remarkably I got away with it during my 5 years Phil

Ian Brown… I did but not from Jimmy Edwards

Geoff Peckham… I had the slipper (plimsoll), the cane, a knuckle on top of the head, a ruler on the knuckle and other wacky wacks. I was probably a guinea pig. I was certainly very naughty. Never did me any harm though……

Jan Warren… If you don’t eat ya meat, you can’t have any pudding!! Haha – didn’t do us any harm!!  Lines ,,,,,,,,,,, we had lines and I remember being severely punished for wearing “John Lennon” glasses in class!! Anyway, it never did us any harm, I think kids these days don’t have enough discipline, they need the basics, wrong from right and to respect others, its just logic really?!!

Eric Peckham… YOU! STAND STILL, LADDIE!!!

Jim Hobbs… Stand still will yee

Maggie Geary… Ruler when learning to type!!!

Andy Qunta… Yup! Cane & slipper. They said it would make a man out of me! Hmm…!

Martin Richter…  P.E. torture!

Peter J Brazier… The dreaded Slipper (Mr Fulton Hart’s “Toe Joe”)

Chris Meachen… I managed to get the cane, but only once..

Ernest Ballard… Got the slipper cane and a rather large table tennis bat !! Ruler and knuckles on the head. Hit by a rubber and made to stand on a chair. The last one made me feel the worst ha ha.

Michael Coller… We had a size 12 slipper, it was hung on the wall for people to see, me being a good boy never got it

Nigel Goodman… Never harmed any of us just taught us RESPECT l

Chris Baker… It taught us fear and anger!

Tony Davis… Slipper and we had a teacher who used to throw one of those heavy wooden blackboard cleaners across the classroom. Bloody hurt if it got you. Even when I got to work there was someone who would slap you round the head if you made mistakes. Thank god things have changed…..they just sack you now

Alan Esdaile… not Mr Hatch Tony?

Tony Davies… the dreaded Mr Hatch, Monsieur B’astard. Stuff of nightmares. Alan do you remember Mr Browns class 1C Githa Rd, he had a plimsoll called Percy, he used to draw a target on the sole with chalk and leave the impression on your backside for all to see,,,, Percy had no Mercy,,,,, Verite Sans Peur,,,,,,

Alan Esdaile… Yes remember percy the slipper, leaving chalk marks on your school trousers. Mr Brown was a great teacher, unlike Mr Hatch.

Phil Thornton… slipper, cane, ruler, book, you name it I had it… result was no respect for authority figures !

Gerry Fortsch… I went to a good primary school in Mountfield, the head master Mr Morgan, from what I remember was a strict advocate of capital punishment. It was not uncommon for children under the age of eleven to receive six strokes of the cane, dished out by Mr Morgan. I did feel this pain on a number of occasions myself, the last time it was to be implemented on me was due to some one knocking a pencil off of my desk during a time of total silence that he had imposed. I had learned only to well how this man liked to hurt us kids so on three attempts by him I took my hand away at the last moment, after that he gave up. In later life I became an active part of the trade union movement, I put this all down to Mr Morgan.

Mike Curtis… Three whacks on the backside with rubber Bunsen Burner tube was de riguer in our science lessons if you were caught talking. An English Lit teacher used to grab your hair above the ear, twist it and lift. Inevitably it would make you stand up, and he used to yell, “Sit down boy” while continuing to twist it. French teacher would smack you round the back of the head with a ruler, and the music teacher would hurl wooden board rubbers. Happy days.

Mick O’Dowd… Yes. I had the cane , slipper, chalk & board rubber thrown at my head, ruler on the knuckles but I survived to be the upstanding cretin that I am.

Kevin O’Doherty… was a rite of passage really and if you had had a caning, then boys would give you grudging respect

Dave Nattress… Jaffa (Peckham), and I went to The Downs Secondary Modern, now Bexhill High school and we both felt the wrath a few times, meaning various slippers – size 12 gym shoes, “Tickler”, “Growler” and “Encouragement” were Rex Salter’s favourites, rulers on knuckles, blackboard rubber lobbed across the classroom, kneel down and head in the waste paper bin,. The cane I don’t we were both bad enough for, but it was a big event when someone had to go to the headmaster’s office for the cane. Exercise books stuffed down the trousers – of course we thought the teachers had never seen that before!! Good days.

Gerry Fortsch… I am glad I was not the only one that had to endure the apparent hatred of some of our teachers, I am not sure how many of the youngsters today would stand for it, thank god.

Lyn Humphrey… Dave and Jaffa—and don’t forget Mr Bridges was another pretty fiercesome slipperer, along with Mr Roberts.

Christopher Dann… I went to the Grove from 1963 to 1968. I got caned at least once a week. The Geography master , Ken Dooley, had a selection of 6 canes which ranged from really, really painful to eye wateringly painful and we were actually allowed to choose which one we wanted.
Mr Wallace, the RE teacher, could throw a wooden blackboard rubber from the front of the classroom to the back row with incredible accuracy. I never saw it coming and it really hurt.
Certain teachers didn’t have a cane so they would just send us to the Headmaster’s office and we had to tell him what our punishment was. I remember getting sent to the Headmaster’s office so many times I’ve actually lost count. When I arrived there would always be about five or six other boys waiting in a line. One by one we would walk in to his office and he would bellow , “How many boy ?” we would then answer “Three on the hand Sir” or “Six on the backside Sir” If we ever tried to beat the system by saying three instead of six it would mean a double helping when the lie was discovered. Which, of course, it always was. Happy days. Never did me any harm.

Conan Howard… before I lived in Hastings I lived in south London and went to Grove Park secondary modern near Bromley Kent in the late 50s and early 60s ,we always got the cane either on our backsides or hand ,it was always 6 of the best , any excuse by the teachers. I think they were all sadists and really enjoyed it..I could tell you some stories about what went on in the showers after PE and games with the teachers in charge .and people think it is all new today??

Geoff Peckham… Frank Bridges had a fearsome tongue too, often shouting at boys and giving them biblical names. Best response was when Ozzie Holland rushing down the corridor, clearly in desperate need for the loo. Mr. Bridges poked his head out of his classroom door: “Where are you running to, Moses?” he bawled. Ozzie’s reply as he disappeared around the corner was: “To the Promised Land, sir!”

Conan Howard… I keep seeing the name of Chris Baker come up on this site,, is this the same person that used to live in George street Hastings who was married to a girl called Jeanette or something like that? early 70s late 60s?and used to know a bloke called Allen Watts? do you remember you had a basement under your shop where we used to play? please let me know ,,Conan.. formally Len .. if so have you still got my SAVAGE ROSE ALBUM as I would like it back ..ha ha

Chris Baker… Hi there Len! It is the very same. Can’t say I remember the album but I have a look in the garage. Assuming you’re not on FB? Thanks for passing on the message Alan.

Dave Nattress… Geoff and Lyn, indeed Frank Bridges came with a fearsome reputation as Engineering Drawing/Technical Drawing master and also Keith “Slug” Slater who was the Geography master. I do sort of remember Frank as being OK to me as I did his subject reasonably well but a frightening tyrant to many and slug was actually fine as again I loved the subject. Mr Roberts indeed with the then revolutionary shaved head and his Wife, naturally Mrs R, who taught there, but I can;t recall what, who was a very sexy babe as I recall. Whilst on the subject there was Taff Thomas who was pretty dangerous

Sandy Max… In my school the cane was for the boys and the ruler the girls .. .. The threat of the cane did make the boys behave though! (Although I think being engaged and wanting to learn is a lot better than being coerced)

 

 

6 thoughts on “Punishment at School – did you get the cane or the ruler?”

  1. Jaffa (Peckham), and I went to The Downs Secondary Modern, now Bexhill High school and we both felt the wrath a few times, meaning various slippers – size 12 gym shoes, “Tickler”, “Growler” and “Encouragement” were Rex Salter’s favourites, rulers on knuckles, blackboard rubber lobbed across the classroom, kneel down and head in the waste paper bin,. The cane I don’t we were both bad enough for, but it was a big event when someone had to go to the headmaster’s office for the cane. Exercise books stuffed down the trousers – of course we thought the teachers had never seen that before!!
    Good days.

    Reply
  2. Dave and Jaffa—and don’t forget Mr Bridges was another pretty fiercesome slipperer, along with Mr Roberts.

    Reply
  3. I went to the Grove from 1963 to 1968. I got caned at least once a week. The Geography master , Ken Dooley, had a selection of 6 canes which ranged from really, really painful to eye wateringly painful and we were actually allowed to choose which one we wanted.
    Mr Wallace, the RE teacher, could throw a wooden blackboard rubber from the front of the classroom to the back row with incredible accuracy.
    I never saw it coming and it really hurt.
    Certain teachers didn’t have a cane so they would just send us to the Headmaster’s office and we had to tell him what our punishment was.
    I remember getting sent to the Headmaster’s office so many times I’ve actually lost count. When I arrived there would always be about five or six other boys waiting in a line. One by one we would walk in to his office and he would bellow , “How many boy ?” we would then answer “Three on the hand Sir” or “Six on the backside Sir” If we ever tried to beat the system by saying three instead of six it would mean a double helping when the lie was discovered. Which, of course, it always was.
    Happy days. Never did me any harm.

    Reply
  4. before I lived in Hastings I lived in south London and went to Grove Park secondary modern near Bromley Kent in the late 50s and early 60s ,we always got the cane either on our backsides or hand ,it was always 6 of the best , any excuse by the teachers. I think they were all sadists and really enjoyed it..I could tell you some stories about what went on in the showers after PE and games with the teachers in charge .and people think it is all new today??

    Reply
  5. I keep seeing the name of Chris Baker come up on this site,, is this the same person that used to live in George street Hastings who was married to a girl called Jeanette or something like that? early 70s late 60s?and used to know a bloke called Allen Watts? do you remember you had a basement under your shop where we used to play? please let me know ,,Conan.. formally Len .. if so have you still got my SAVAGE ROSE ALBUM as I would like it back ..ha ha

    Reply
  6. Geoff and Lyn, indeed Frank Bridges came with a fearsome reputation as Engineering Drawing/Technical Drawing master and also Keith “Slug” Slater who was the Geography master. I do sort of remember Frank as being OK to me as I did his subject reasonably well but a frightening tyrant to many and slug was actually fine as again I loved the subject. Mr Roberts indeed with the then revolutionary shaved head and his Wife, naturally Mrs R, who taught there, but I can;t recall what, who was a very sexy babe as I recall. Whilst on the subject there was Taff Thomas who was pretty dangerous.

    Reply

Leave a comment