While boys did think it was fair they all got it bare, most would rather have had something one. This was not due to shyness or embarrassment but due to the fact that they knew it hurt more bare. (I will cover this topic more in another post later on after school caning)
While it may seem also unbelievable now, boys were not only caned on their bare bottom but were seen by both parents and outsiders getting it. I had one lady that came into the school and complained that the night before she had seen two boys taking vegetables from her allotment. Mind you she was about sixty and surprised she owned an allotment. Both boys admitted the offence and I informed them they would get six of the cane. The lady complained that todays boys do not get punished hard enough. In my day boys would get a good thrashing and not be able to sit down for hours.I told her that they would get a hard caning, and I made the off-the-cuff mark that if she thought they were going to get away lightly she could stay and watch.