And finally, back to my own school days, my state grammar school, quite new.  I was there for six years from the age of 12.  It was well run, and in my memory there wasn’t much indiscipline.  Some things you never forget however.

At the end of lessons one day, those in the fourth form – probably all around 15 years old – were taken to a large empty classroom and told to sit in rows facing the front platform where teachers taught.  In came the Deputy Headmaster and two of our fellow pupils, two brothers, identical twins. The DH said they had been continually stealing and lying, and although they’d been discovered and had received warnings they had continued.  Each was then told to bend over. The DH then gave each of them six lashes with a cane.  It was fierce. Really hard and obviously painful. He took his time.  We heard each brother’s awful gasp after each one. And then tears.  For us watching, I remember total silence; we were too shocked even to gasp.  Some things you never forget.

———————————————————————————-

The health here?  Still hard going. Still badly disturbed sleep.  Still coughing and choking attacks, some quite frightening.  At some point soon I’ll do another update.  That’s all on that for now.