I remember those Dunlops (3 cracks when caught smoking) and his cricket boot which was saved for more serious offences (6 cracks when caught spitting out a kamikaze fly beside the path outside lhb day room). Sillett wasn't a terrible housemaster but wasn't always consistent!My only experience of corporal punishment was 6 whacks with a Dunlop Greenflash trainer, delivered by my junior housemaster Bob Sillett, for being overheard saying "It's not f**king funny". I was commenting on someone else who Bob had just "slippered", when someone was laughing at him and thinking it was funny. Rough justice I thought at the time, but Bob was in a bit of bad mood!
I don't blame him at all (much!) - I think a school with the threat of decent punishments helps keep the kids knowing who's in charge.
My most fearful experience of punishment was being sent to Handsford with 2 others after being caught writing BBB on a train during a trip to London (possibly when we sold programmes for the Lord mayor's show) can't remember who my co-defendants were. We were bricking it and he asked what punishment we thought should be administered. "I think you should send us to London for 3cdays to scrub trains" I piped out. "Hmm" he replied, "gated to house for 3 months seems more suitable than a school funded holiday" he replied. 3 sighs of breath ensued.
I panicked again when he congratulated me on winning '5 minutes with' about 6 weeks later. "Well done but should you be here?" he asked. I disappeared promptly, missed the after party and never heard any more on the subject