At our school the headmasters office was a separate building in the between the school building and the playground. Boys were often caned outside of this office in sight of others of the school population

Public caning was still in existence at that time, and I clearly remember it being used. All the boys in the yard stood silently as Alan Webster swished his cane in the air with vigour. A youth was bent over a chair, which had been placed on one of the raised grass areas in front of the Cloakrooms.

What he had done was uncertain, but it was enough to warrant a public caning in the yard. As Webster took a red-faced run-up, the youth gritted his teeth as the cane, kept supple in Webster’s fish tank, smashed a crippling blow to his flannel trousers.