A Special Message to all Readers
Traditional School Discipline has just marked its fourth anniversary and with the number of ‘views’ now well over two million, this feels like a good time to say a warm ‘thank you’ to all readers.
And special thanks go to all those who
contribute items (with no expectation of reward or even recognition.)
The blog started during Covid lockdown and
was intended as a personal project to upload my collection of photos, comics,
videos and so on. (I already had – and still have - a website where I
publish my fiction).
I’d supposed it would have lasted a few
months at best. That was until readers began sharing their own favourites and
pointing me towards websites with lots of material. Some of the most popular
features on the blog came from readers: I’m thinking of the recent Housemaster
photographs and the BBC TV drama School
Play as good examples.
I’ve also had significant numbers of videos
(amateur and professional) contributed, news reports, drawings (many drawn by
the readers themselves), comics and photos sent to me.
If you have anything on discipline with a
school theme that you think might be interesting to our readers please contact
me at the email address at the end of this post.
On that subject, I had this photo sent to
me by a reader. They've had it for years and have no idea of its origins.
It is an intriguing shot: it shows what
appears to be an authentic-looking caning taking place. I don’t for a second
believe that it is really four boys being dealt with by their headmaster. But
what is it? Is it a still from a movie, a scene in a play, an illustration in a
documentary on corporal punishment? I have no more idea than the reader who
sent it.
Can you help? If you can please leave a
comment below, or contact me privately on the email address below.
Thanks for all the support you give this
blog and I hope we can find new material to keep it going well into 2025.
Traditional School Discipline
Traditionalschooldiscipline@gmail.com
Thank you for all you do. You are providing a first rate service that is much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThe three witnesses in the picture look rather apprehensive to me so I suspect they are next. Traditional Winchester position although the headmaster is going to restrict the force of the strokes by standing that close and holding the boy down. Having said that, it all looks rather posed rather than a picture takes as a caning was about to start, especially when one considers the trouble taken at that time to take a picture. The angle of the walls also suggests a stage set. Therefore a shot taken to advertise a forthcoming production would be my view.
Could I suggest you publish an occasional feature, perhaps called " *BEHIND* THE SCENES ", where you feature the best of the drawings, photographs, and videos that have been sent to you by the public. This feature could always sport the standard disclaimer that "Anything featured here represents fantasy materials sent in by viewers of this site and in no way condones the physical abuse of children, nor their sexual exploitation". You already express that for your site as a whole but attaching that to featured materials from contributors should satisfy all legal requirements. I would love to see what talented viewers of this site can produce.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your hard work that you put into this as i was at school in the 50s/ 60s the 12 to 17 was an all boys school i attended strict but made a lot of friends had my bum caned a few times all so got the slipper many many times my own fault and deserved every bit of it my backside was also tanned at home until i was 18 but I was the one who many pranks at school and disobedience at home. Once again many thanks to you all for such a good site bringing back memories. M
ReplyDeleteThank you Anonymous of January 14 at 11.50am. I am sure we would love a few more details. - youngest and oldest when caned at school, for instance? Ditto the slipper at school? How were you tanned at home? (Implements - on the bare? By Mum? By Dad?) I am sure many of us envy you and would love some salacious details!
DeleteI agree that the pic seems likely to be a promotional one taken on a stage set to advertise a play. The position the boy is in (two chairs back to back, with a large book on the seat of one chair to raise him up) is exactly as described in the original script for the play "Housemaster" written by Ian Hay. This play had more than a thousand performances across several different versions and adaptations, in several countries. So it's not surprising that there seem to be several different promotional pics of it with different casts and sets for each.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that the caning scene is what's chosen so often as a promotional pic. Because the play itself only has one caning and focuses much more on other things, like the problems caused by girls being at an all-boys school. I guess canings were popular with potential audiences and made them see the play as likely to be exciting and entertaining.