Honourable schoolboy (18) takes six of the best

An unusual news report about schoolboy honour as an 18-year-old sixth-former volunteers for the cane.

A Yank at school gets ‘six of the best’

By Daily Mail Reporter

PETER DURYEA, 18-year-old son of Hollywood "villain" Dan Duryea, walked nervously into the headmaster's study at Oakham School, Rutland.

“Bend over, boy,” said the head, Mr. John Buchanan, selecting a cane.

Peter bent, hands on shins. Whereupon Mr. Buchanan planted six of the best on the spot Peter’s trousers were tightest.

Yesterday the boy’s housemaster, Mr. K. R. Bowes, told me: “He took it well; although I understand that Mr. Buchanan -- like most headmasters -- has a strong right arm and a wristy follow-through.”

Sixth-former Peter -- he is at the public school (fees £233 year) on a scholarship from America -- got his caning for slipping out of the dormitory with four other boys and going to a dance at Oakham. He returned at 1.30 a.m.

‘Good fellow’

“But it is all forgiven and forgotten now,” said Mr. Buchanan. “He has behaved in an exemplary manner over the entire unfortunate affair.”

He chuckled and added: “I suppose I shouldn't be quoted as saying this but he’s an extremely good fellow.”

Said Mr. Bowes: “It was nothing more than a prank. He’s a first-class chap -- owned up at once.”

Peter has been at Oakham since September. He will stay there till the end of the summer.

As published by Daily Mail, 10 March 1958

 

Son of Actor Gets Whipped Like the Rest

OAKHAM, England, March 9 (Reuter) – The 18-year-old son of Dan Duryea, villain of the movies, today earned six lashes of the cane – at his own request.

Peter Duryea, prefect at a private school here, got his “six of the best” by slipping out after lights for a dance in town. Four other boys involved also got lashed.

The only trouble with whipping Peter was that he was on an exchange scholarship.

“Are you prepared to accept the same punishment as the others?” he was asked by headmaster Peter Buchanan.

“Yes, sir,” Peter replied, “I’ll take whatever they had.”

The cane stung.

“It was meant to," Peter said. "But I'm obeying the rules now.”

As published in Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington State, USA, 10 March 1958

(Acknowledgements to Corpun).

Picture credit: Sting Pictures

 

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