At public school, the headmaster would say “You leave me no alternative, boy. Take your blazer off and get your trousers and shorts down to your ankles. Bend over the back of the chair”. As I did so my shirt was folded back and the cane was applied. Usually, 6 strokes were standard but I once received 9 for a repeat of a crime committed a week earlier (smoking!). We boys regarded corporal punishment as a way of life at school. A way to be avoided if possible as it was not at all pleasant, but nevertheless inevitable.