A titbit picked up on the Internet by James Whidborne (H’78) , with A C Grayling, one of Falcon’s better known luminaries, telling tales of canings and running away etc
http://www.intelligencesquared.com/talks/a-c-grayling-on-running-away-from-boarding-school,-at-5×15
…there will, of course, always be debate about who holds the caning record. Some say it’s Tim Hawkins but did we really count them? Having listened to the speech, I personally think there are quite a few embellishments e.g. “the headmaster, whom we never saw from year to year” is clearly wrong as DET was very much to be seen every week in assemblies, classes etc. Still, taken with a liberal pinch of salt, it makes a good yarn!
Colin Bewes, H’79
With regard to caning, I have a slightly different perspective. In 1965 the 1st XI hockey team played a game against the staff. I tackled my housemaster DAE Hunt, who fell and broke his collarbone. Next year I was made Head of House , Oates. As it happened Hunt’s collarbone did not heal properly and required further surgery with the result that he could not wield the cane. Well guess who was deputized to cane on his behalf – me! The boy who broke his collarbone the previous year.
So not only did I give out black marks during inspection each morning, three in a week constituted two strokes as I recall, but I then dished out the punishment each Thursday evening in Hunt’s study! This went on for the better part of the term, before he could resume his caning responsibilities.