In my personal opinion, nothing of a corporal punishment nature actually occurred. My belief is based on my knowledge of the Headmaster, who was a man of great integrity and high standards. He was approachable, provided you were making the most of your time at the school. He was always well-informed about students’ progress and had little patience for those who tried to deceive him. He also had a clear sense of humor, and since Daffers had become well known to him over the years, I am sure he would have listened to her request with interest and perhaps given her a suitable “talking to.” I believe that simply being in the office of a real, authoritative Headmaster—who did use the cane—while dressed in her school uniform, must have had a significant psychological impact on her, and may have sparked some fantasies about what could have happened. Of course, others with more vivid imaginations might prefer to think otherwise and imagine different scenarios. Interestingly, Daffers was probably not technically still a pupil at the time, as she had already completed her “O” levels.
I apologize if I have gone on a bit. On the bright side, I am likely to be absent from these pages for a while, as the sea calls to me once again.
I was pleased to finally read the conclusion of your ‘Daffers’ account. I suspect your conclusions about what likely happened in the Headmaster’s office are correct. It is hard to imagine that, in reality, a Headmaster—or Headmistress—would use the cane on someone who was no longer a pupil at their school.
Interestingly, such events are sometimes the subject of school corporal punishment fiction, and in those stories, the cane is almost always used. I occasionally read such stories online when I need a break from more productive computing activities. We used to have at least three regular contributors who wrote these stories professionally, though I don’t recall either of the two whose pen names I knew ever writing about this particular theme.
Of the three authors I was aware of, one has simply disappeared and is sadly missed by me. Another chose to stop contributing after a disagreement with the Forum Management. He is also missed, though the last time I checked, he still visited occasionally and may return. The third, whose pen name I do not know, would be greatly missed if he stopped contributing, but fortunately, he continues to do so.
Returning to the topic of stories about head teachers caning students from other schools, I personally prefer those accounts where a mischievous schoolboy is caned by the Headmistress of the neighboring girls’ school. Sadly, such stories are very rare. However, it is said that sometimes, such events do happen in real life—allegedly!
