I only got the cane a couple of times, I think purely because of my first experience of it. It was at a private school in Surrey, I was 10 years old and it was a swimming session.  A friend had dared me to come out of the changing rooms and claim to have ‘forgotten’ to put my swimming trunks on. So I came out naked, to which the other boys laughed, but the member of staff on duty, Mr Stokes, gave me a detention and warned me if I did not get my trunks on ‘RIGHT NOW’ he’d send me to the headmaster, Mr Langford, which normally meant corporal punishment.

I did not do this; instead I mooned Mr Stokes. He gave me a punishment slip, told me to get dressed and sent me to Mr Langford. I walked off, knowing that I would get caned.

Only Mr Langford and the deputy, Mr Reynolds, were allowed to administer corporal punishment, almost always going by a teacher’s recommendation (on the punishment slip) although they could overrule.

When I got to Mr Langford’s study I was told to kneel on his armchair and arch my back forwards slightly. My punishment slip had recommended six strokes in total, for causing disruption, not doing as I was told, and blatant disrespect and rudeness. Mr Langford started the caning; two strokes in quick succession came down on my backside and there was a pause, the worst was yet to come!

Mr Langford said that as I enjoyed mooning teachers, maybe I’d enjoy mooning him. With that he ordered I take my trousers and underwear down and gave me four more hard strokes on the bare bottom. This, I believe, was rarely done, normally over uniform, which was the case for my second caning 18 months later for a smaller offence.

HS