One assumes at that point some signal was given by the Headmaster as a number of the boys suddenly rushed at Wildman, grabbed him and bent him over, holding him in position while another boy whacked him with his own cane. He was finally let up to the sound of derisive laughter. We are told that he later fled the building and rushed to the local hospital where he complained that he had nine visible weals on his buttocks. Unfortunately for Wildman, his predicament seems to have engendered mirth rather than sympathy. Ultimately though, Wildman would have the last laugh, when the following year Headmaster Copping was found unfit to be in charge of the school and the Eccleshall magistrates’ court had it shut down.
Eric Wildman 1950s Crusader for Corporal Punishment9
