Hi,

Is there anybody who can shine any further light on this little gem from 'The Sun(Octber 1979), when two girls were caned for their involvement in a book blaze demo at Churchill Secondary Modern, in Kent. For years I have been wondering how they were caned and who by. Any answers? Read on......


Source: The Sun

Date: Friday October 26th 1979

Heading: Book Blaze Demo at School

Books were burned in a school playing field as angry pupils demonstrated over chilly classrooms.

The children thought headmaster, John Coatman, was being miserly with the central heating while he kept an electric fire burning in his study.

After the protest, two girls were caned, four prefects demoted and the boy who set fire to the books bonfire was sent home.

Another 50 pupils at Churchill Secondary Modern, Westerham, Kent, were given detention.

Mr Coatman insisted yesterday: “I am not a bully boy. I didn’t whip them back into the classrooms. I don’t deny my electric fire, and the one in the staff room, were on.”

He added: “The school central heating had been switched on. If the children had waited an hour the classrooms would have been comfortably warm.”

The headmaster sounds a perfectly decent sort of guy so I am guessing that the girls were caned on their bare bottoms. They had complained that the classrooms were a bit chilly so the headmaster did the right thing in adding as much warmth as possible. A caning on the hand would have just stung and not left the warm glow that they really desired.
I am also guessing that during the caning they shouted out "Harder Sir, harder!" and "Don't stop now Sir, do it again"
.....as girls often did of course.

I have it on very good authority that they were caned on the seat. Six of the very best with a thin whippy cane whilst bending over the muscular PE mistresses most comfortable armchair. No doubt providing some well deserved overheating in exactly the place where it will be most keenly felt.