Georgiec wrote: ↑

Sep 24, 2023

To draw straight lines on the blackboard

Thank you for this simple correct explanation. Such tee squares were about 3ft long. My classroom teacher didn’t keep a proper cane or slipper there but the headmaster and deputy head did on rare occasions cane or slipper some of the very unruly boys. Girls escaped all this but a few of the worst ones did get the backs of their legs slapped in private by the senior lady teacher.
My teacher didn’t use the tee square excessively. This was the time when plenty of parents still used spanking at home. I don’t remember any boys being exactly terrified of the tee square across their bottoms. It stung but that was the way of things back then. As a bit of a teacher’s pet I was somewhat shocked when he unhooked tee square that afternoon. With no others boys present it was obvious that he was about to use it on me. The three whacks stung but I was used to the occasional spanking at home from my widowed mother. How times have changed!

Georgiec: I guess schools differed. In mine a tee-square was never used to draw straight lines on a blackboard. Indeed the blackboards used had a raised rim which would have made it impossible to be used in that way. They were only used in technical subjects, most often technical drawing, where the board used had no rim and thus tee-squares could be used to draw straight lines. Only the technical teacher used it for CP.

lansallos:

I only remember a senior school tech drawing teacher using a tee square once. Other teachers there used a plimsoll or a cane. This teacher favoured giving lines (on paper not across backsides!). I remember awarding 200 lines to one lad, to be done that evening. The boy concerned then told the teacher that his dad wouldn’t allow him to do lines at home. Something I’d never heard of before. I’d heard of boys being in more trouble at home if they had to do lines in the evening.
Anyway the teacher must have believed that the boy was telling the truth and not just trying to get out of doing the lines. I remember the teacher seeming to think for a moment before offering an alternative punishment. The boy was offered the alternative of three whacks on his bottom. The boy readily agreed. All the seemed very strange as I’d never known of that teacher giving corporal punishment. We all watched as the boy bent over for three whacks with a tee square. It must have stung but the boy didn’t seem too worried by it.
I knew nothing of the boy’s family but I did wonder if he was spanked at home sometimes by his dad as he willingly agreed to the choice of the punishment at school. I don’t remember that teacher ever giving any type of CP again.

Great account SOTB. These weird one-offs must have happened just about every school. I recall a very small female teacher standing on a stool to give the belt. Cliche I know but true in this case.

I’ll get the ball rolling with the first batch of accounts from Merseyside…

All Hallow (Secondary)  – Speke

Margaret – b1947 – Cane across hand by a nun – 1958 to 1962
Patricia – b1953 –  Cane across unspecified anatomy by a nun – 1964 to 1968

Arnot Street (Secondary) – Liverpool

Ellen – b1937 – Cane across hand by headmaster – 1948 to 1952

Balliol Road School for Girls (Secondary) – Bootle (became mixed around 1968)

Doreen – b1941 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher 1952 to 1956
Pam – b1946 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1957
Christine – b1948 – Cane across bottom & hand by female teachers – 1959 to 1963
Noreen – b1948 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1959 to 1963
Carol – b1948 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1959 to 1963
Irene – b1948 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1959 to 1963
Marj – b1950 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1961 to 1965
Jean – b1951 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1962 to 1966
Christina – b1955 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1966 to 1970
Esther – b1955 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teachers – 1966 to 1970

Beach Road (Primary) – Litherland

Ann – b1947 – Slipper across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1954

Birkdale (Secondary) – Southport

Pat – b1947 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1958 to 1962
Bette – b1958 – Cane across hand by male teacher – 1969 to 1974
Janice – b1960 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1971 to 1976
Angela – b1961 – Ping Pong bat across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1972 to 1977
Elaine – b1961 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1972 to 1977
Deborah – b1962 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1973 to 1978
Debbie (A) – b1962 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1973 to 1978
Jenny – b1962 – Cane across hands by unnamed teacher – 1973 to 1978
Linda – b1963 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female & male teachers – 1974 to 1979
Debra – b1963 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1974 to 1979
Lynne – b1963 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1974 to 1979
Helen – b1963 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1974 To 1979
Debbie (B) – b1963 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1974 to 1979
Glenda – b1964 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1975 to 1980
Michelle – b1965 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1976 to 1981
Mhairi – b1966 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1977 to 1982

Bromborough (Secondary) – Wirral

Sue – b1945 – Cane across hand by male teacher – 1959
Liz – b1951 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1966
Ashley – b1964 – Cane across hand by male teacher1975 to 1980
Shelley – b1965 – Cane across hand by female teacher 1976 to 1981
Debbie – b1965 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1976 to 1981

Christ The King (Secondary) – Southport

Barbara -b1951 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1962 to 1966
Liz – b1955 – Cane & strap across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teachers – 1966 to 1970
Jenny – b1955 – Slipper across bottom by female teacher & strap across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1966 to 1970
Denise – b1960 – Strap across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1971 to 1976
Aurora – b1965 – Strap across hands by unnamed teachers – 1976 to 1977

Christchurch (Primary) – Birkenhead

Linda – b1952 – Ruler across bottom by male teacher – 1959 to 1963
Paula – b1963 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1968 to 1974

Conway Street (Girls) – Secondary – Birkenhead

Joyce – b1936 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1947 to 1952
Ann – b1945 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1956 to 1960
Marion – b1949 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1960 to 1964
Jean – b1953 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1964 to 1968

Croxteth (Secondary) – Liverpool

Ellie – b1947 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1958 to 1962
Eileen – b1954 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1965 to 1969
Mary – b1954 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher – 1965 to 1969
Susan – b1955 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1966 to 1970
Jacqui – b1955 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1966 to 1970
Pauline – b1955 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1966 to 1970
Joyce  – b1955 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1966 to 1970
Kathleen – b1955 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1966 to 1970
Jean – b1956 – Cane across hand by female teacher (class caning) – 1966 to 1970
Maureen – b1956 Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1967 to 1971
Marjie – b1956 Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1967 to 1972
Anne – b1957 Cane across unspecified anatomy by male teacher – 1968 to 1972
Brenda – b1958 – Cane across hands by male teacher & across legs by female teacher – 1969 to 1973
Sheila – b1958 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1969 to 1974
Collette – b1959 – Cane across hand by unnamed teachers – 1971 to 1975
Judy – b1960 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1971 to 1976
Sandra –  b1960 – Cane across hand by unnamed teacher 1971 to 1976
Janice – b1960 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1971 to 1976
Debbie – b1960 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1971 to 1970
Jill – b1961 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1972 to 1977
Penelope – b1961 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1972 to 1977
Shirley – b1961 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1972 to 1977
Paula – b1964 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher – 1975 to 1980
Tracey – b1964 – Cane across hand by female teacher – 1975 to 1981
Jackie – b1965 – Cane across hand by female teacher 1976 to 1981
Gina – b1965 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by unnamed teacher – 1976 to 198
Alison – b1967 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by female teacher 1978 to 1983
Joanne – b1968 – Hand across leg by male teacher – 1979 to 1984
Sharon – b1969 – Cane across unspecified anatomy by male teacher 1980 to 1985

As always, I’ll provide more details if requested

I Researcher

Many thanks again for all your no doubt very  time  consuming research .

This is excellent   bang on topic data for discussion . Its a pity more do not join in.

Since I am always interested in the activities of teachers prepared to bend the rules a bit . I   obviously immediately noted the use of a ping pong bat (presumably on the bottom)  on Angela  at Birkdale by a male teacher .

Though personally never having witnessed its use at school I have been informed /told of its use on several occasions on both male and female bottoms.  Whether it is a legitimate  (authorised? )  implement  under various school regs is probably open to debate. but the inference is that  the teacher in question  oped to bring in his own   implement  . I presume   this was not a one off and wonder if there are any examples of the teacher using this on boys. Of course it may be that the teacher was a keen table tennis player and just had it with him for a game after school  and thought to put it to a secondary use.

Also Christine at Balloil ..I presume she did not  have both her bottom and hands caned at the same time .   Certainly not  unheard of.

Another fine piece of research by I, Researcher!

The phrase ‘unspecified anatomy’ that I, Researcher has previously admitted to being his own term is given when there are no ‘target’ details. Some  longer lists in the Liverpool schools may indicate that virtually all punishments in that school were given in a set manner, i.e. cane strokes across the palm of the hand. Looking at the lists there I am inclined to wonder if the LEA there had more firm rules about how SCP could be applied to girls. There is but one mention of the strap, at a  RC school, however I’m sure that I have read of the strap being well used in Manchester schools, not a million miles away!
From this research it would seem that most Liverpool girls of the 1950s/60s escaped sore bottoms. In schools perhaps but I imagine that many of the same girls were spanked across their bottoms at home.

Hello Sir John,

The group seems to have had a bit of new lease of life of late so who knows, we might get some more interest/contributors to these threads.  Perhaps one day I might post some accounts to a school that someone on here actually attended.

Anyway, in reference to Birkdale, I could only find the single reference to the application of the ping pong bat and Angela doesn’t really give to much away when she stated:

‘Can’t remember his name but the music teacher had a kinda ping pong bat which he used on me when I was in 2G.’

However, should you wish do a bit of your own research the group listed here is publicly accessible.

Regarding, Christine’s punishments at Balliol Road School for Girls, evidence points to her bottom caning being an isolated or at least a rare instance.  Here are her exact quotes:

‘OH boy! I was apparently a little horror! I was always getting the cane. Mostly from Miss Taylor the “gin” queen and miss Evans the head mistress who actually gave me it on my arse when I was 14. Pity it wasn’t here in America I could have sued for that and been rich!’

‘Usually the cane didn’t bother me much (always on the hand) But this one bothered me it was embarrassing. The punishment was for : Whilst eating dinner in the dinner room, I hit my elbow funny bone on the table and I had a spoonful of custard in my hand. The custard flicked up and hit the monitoring teacher in the face’

My guess is that the monitoring teacher was embarrassed/humiliated at having custard flicked in here face and that Miss Evans applied some eye for an eye psychology to applying the same factors to the punishment.

Hello Six Of The Best,

I was thinking the same thing regarding the LEA.  On evidence displayed so far it appears that punishments in the Merseyside were more standardized than in the neighbouring  counties.

I, Researcher:

It is surprising that Merseyside used the cane while neighbouring  Greater Manchester seemed to use the strap more. Both the cane or strap would have been equally effective across hands or on the buttocks.

It has to be remembered that back in the 1950s/60s many parents used spanking at home and approved of SCP provided it was deserved and not excessive.