Cane threat after peashooter ‘war’ between schools

Probably a somewhat exaggerated report from 1929 about elementary schoolboys having ‘pitched battles’ on the streets with their peashooters.

“WAR” BETWEEN SCHOOLBOYS

Peashooters as Weapons:

Headmasters Act

PORTSMOUTH. – war has been declared between the boys of two elementary schools in the Portsea district of Portsmouth. The weapons chosen are peashooters. A local tradesman set up an armament depot. and did a brisk trade.

Pitched battles in streets and shop doorways took place day in and day out between the rival “gangs” and they reached such alarming proportions that a “peace conference” was held between two respective headmasters.

They decided on disarmament, and the headmasters acted swiftly and effectively. They confiscated the weapons and established an “armoury of peashooters” in each school.

Peace reigned once more – but only on the surface. Catapults and toy pistols came into use. But the headmasters mean to have no more war, even if they have to recourse to another form of violence – the cane.

The boys are disappointed, and so is one tradesman who supplied a hundredweight of peas to the rival “armies” in the course of a few days.

Can the traditions of a naval port and a military centre be suppressed?

As published in The Daily Herald, 11 February 1929.   

Picture credit: Russell Sambrook.

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