Burnley Grammar School

As the previous posters have said bare bottom caning and slippering could have been carried out in some private and boading schools, but not in public(government)schools.
What I would like to ask Paul and others who received it is if this was carried out in private or in front of other students.
Also if all teachers at their school had this authority to cane boys bare, or if only certain staff or teachers could do this.
And was there an age limit where boys could be caned bare?

Richie - 5th April.

Boarding school in northern England in the 60s & 70s, the cane on bare bottom was the norm. No one thought anything of it as it was just what happened.

I have no resentment, every time I got it I deserved it and knew the consequences of my behaviour.

Turner, just looked up the pic you refer to. Those are far more covering than the slips we are talking about. The ones my Dad and teachers wore were triangles of cloth at the front and straps around the sides and up,the arse. This is the closest I've been able to find online.

http://www.internationaljock.com/gregg-homme-affair-sheer-knit-string-khaki,36815.html

My Dad''s was blue with white straps and my teachers all had black ones. My Dad's one was really faded with age - presumably from the chlorine.

Richie

I think in the 1950's/60's some schools (nearly all private) may have caned shorts/pj's down. It's also just about possible that one or two still made lads report to the gym for a caning, and that this was carried out totally naked.

Beyond that I think canings were on at least PE shorts/underpants.

Stuart

Just going back to the side-fastening swimming slips, there is a famous photo by Nino Migliori called Il Tuffatore (The Diver) from 1951 showing the fastening. Possibly they had been modernised by the time our correspondents wore theirs.

In response to the comment on 1st April by Stuart, does anyone know whether any schools actually administered the cane to a bare backside? Or would that have been considered a step too far in the 50's 60's?

Same for us but was a mix of slipper, tawse and cane

Tim

We had detentions in the gym, and you were caned for 3 or more detentions in a school year. Additionally, serious "crimes" got a detention and x strokes.

So it happened a fair bit.

Underpants weren't allowed under shorts for all pe/sports and naturally, detentions.

Re the caning over the vaulting horse,was this a regular occur regularly? Thin shorts presumably no underwear as was the custom those days OUCH!

I remember the vaulting horse in our school gym for a totally different reason!

It wasn't jumping over it, so much as being told to fetch the cane from the PE teachers office, then being told to get into position, stretched over the horse, waiting (nervously) for the first stroke of the cane to land. We were never caned naked, but with just thin cotton shorts on, it was all but the same.

We had to use the vaulting horse too, although I can't recollect having to do a somersault over it. I think that the girls in the gym display team did, but I was never that good!

I use to hate having to use the ropes; my arms didn't seem strong enough to haul myself up them.

For some reason the vaulting horse seemed very popular back in the 1950s/60s. I was terrified of it; not because of what it was, but what the teacher insisted I had to do with it.

I was ordered to run up as quickly as I could, then jump with the assistance of a wooden spring board, do a somersault over the top and land on my feet on the other side.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing, but I had to give it my best effort nevertheless. Other boys seemed to have no difficulty, so the teacher reckoned I should find it easy too.

But, despite my valiant efforts, the best I ever achieved was to land in a heap on one side or the other of the dreadful thing, thankfully avoiding breaking my neck in the process.

I still think the "speedo" style swimming briefs are best. shame that so many people think badly of them. As kids that was all that was available but in those days it was was always the cheapest one available one available.

OK Archie, at least you were wearing decent ones.

Rob, he might have done but I never did. I wore normal swimming trunks (briefs) with Stars and Stripes on the IIRC!

Archie, did your father not think that you should wear one as well?

Rob, yes other men wore them at the baths. I didn't really think much of it at the time because of that - older men didn't seem to wear them, just the younger ones.

The slips were only worn for swimming. For PE and football we wore shorts

Archie, it seems that these slips were not uncommon as your masters and other posters wore them. You mentioned earlier that you suspected the design was linked to post war rationing so you must have thought they were obviously very brief. Did other members of your father's club wear them and how did you feel about seeing him wearing one?

Re slips - just for swimming and then only by masters. Normal PE was black shorts, worn commando, and white plimsoles.

With regards to string slips, this is about all some young ladies wear these days either on the beach or a swimming pool. Two pieces of material held together by String

About string slips, I remember seeing some old pictures of the Victorian era which were commonly worn then for PE and also athletics and other sports, though I never heard of them being used in our era. So I guess that this was a tradition which was kept in some schools as previous posters have mentioned.
What I would like to know from these posters is if they were only worn for swimming or also for other PE or sports activities.

It was King Edward VI Grammar in Chelmsford

Hi Amy,

I stayed in my knickers. Most because this is what I was used to and my mum wouldn't buy a leotard, frightened that it would only be used once a week. I think most other mums thought the same way.

Hi Kate

Did you move to a leotard or continue in just your knickers? Strange that if the school offered knickers or leotards they didn't allow vests and knickers for girls from yr 4 upwards,

Archie and Gerald
Can you tell us the names of your respective schools please?
I was not expecting anyone to have heard of these tie slips, let alone experience of wearing them/seeing them.

Hi Amy,

In primary school I only wore my knickers without a vest and bare feet. Lessons were mixed and we changed in our classroom and walked to the hall. When we reached Year 4 we're were given the option of a leotard to wear or continue as we were. Most girls continued as they were.

Hi Kate

Yes it was a shock but a good one when I moved up and could suddenly wear clothes in PE!! Some of the girls hated having to wear a little leap red but for me it was brilliant!

So you did PE in just your underpants in primary school? So no veat or anything on top? Was this girls only or mixed?

Amy, your primary school years PE in the nude sounds incredible. Quite amazing what schools could get away with back then.

I know in my lessons I just wore my underpants and looking back I thought that was bad.

It must have been a shock to the system when you moved up schools. Did you try and carry on practicing PE nude or did you have a kit?

Hi Andrea

Yes our male teacher in today's yr4 took us for PE. Again, this seems incredible looking back but then it was just accepted that we didn't wear anything for PE, and our teacher took the lesson.