Even though Corporal Punishment was administered in the Primary schools through Comprehensive schools, I really don't recall seeing much "physical" evidence of it when it came to other boys. I remember the occasional marked backsides in the school showers after p.e. and seeing some boys who had cut knuckles from rulers being used on them (I had that a few times myself), but otherwise it wasn't really noticed and certainly not discussed too openly amongst boys.

Did any other guys have experiences where it was pretty clear that another boy had been punished? Things like bruises from slipperings or canings? Maybe that was more so in boarding schools than state schools, I don't know.

When I was aged around 13 or 14 showing one's cane marks to classmates was de rigueur and one of the compensations. Marks off target or of exceptional colour carried special status.

Well, my experiences with corporal punishment were fairly late (1985-1988) by which time I suspect causing serious marking could have easily lead to lawsuits around here, and were with a strap which I would assume left less marks than the cane, but I can remember seeing marks on boys backsides three times, and having any marks myself once. We had to shower after our PE and sports lessons, and on school camps - there was no routine showing of marks at my school.

The first time I can remember was when I was in grade 6 - and that was a boy who'd been strapped less than 90 minutes previously - it was in the showers after PE, and we still perceived some reddening of his skin - though honestly thinking back, I'm not sure if it was real or not - it certainly wasn't that obvious and I think it may have been wishful thinking on our part. The second time was on school camp in Year 7, when our form master handed out two whacks to a boy, less than five minutes before changing for bed - he definitely had a couple of red marks across his backside - he was still crying, it was very recent.

In Year 8 - again, while showering after PE somebody called out that one boy had bruises - and we all gathered around to look - he did have a fairly noticeable bruise on his hip - he'd got 6 cracks the previous day for stealing from the school tuck shop, if I recall correctly.

In my own case the only time I remember marks, I was in Year 7. It was the worst strapping I ever received, and it was the first time my mother ever found out I'd been strapped - I had to take a note home for her to sign. She insisted on checking me for damage - something I found rather embarassing - and there was some marking. She was under the false impression that this was the first time I'd been strapped - and she was outraged that they'd hit me so hard the first time. I was forced to admit it wasn't the fist time - she just hadn't found out about any previous occasions.

On the hands - well, we quite often saw our friends with red hands, but that's because most of those punishments were public ones, and you could see the hands within a minute or so of it happening. Marks faded away very quickly.

During my first week at high school, I remember a boarder showing us his backside. He'd been caned by his housemaster the night before. Vivid welts and a mass of technicolour bruising. Put the fear of god into me, I can tell you. But then CP was meant ot be a deterrent. I was glad I was a day boy who went home at night. That was in 1953 and we were 12-13.

At my boarding prep school whackings with a gymshoe on the bare bottom were very frequent so plenty of marks could be seen, they lasted a few days and were called trade marks. There was a large mirror in the dormitory I was in and we used to stand on a bed near it to see the marks. Where the sole landed there was a white spot, I presume some trapped air cushioned that part, mostly the top edge of the gymshoe left a redish purple bit that carried on round getting less pronounced. The marks lasted from a few days to about a week. I went to another prep school before that as a dayboy, the marks there were more severe, the headmaster used a heavy cane that bruised badly, there was usually reddish lines with a lot of black and blue bruising around them. This was in the 50s. Even then there were complaints and the headmaster was hauled before the governors and demoted to using a gymshoe. I remember looking at my marks in a mirror in my bedroom and hoping no one saw them. I always denied that I was ever caned when asked about it by my mother. I didnt like talking about caning or anyone else talking about it in those days, I hadn't come to terms with it.