It was a woman probably in her early forties who was waiting to take me to the Reformatory and she immediately led me out to a car and instructing me to sit in the front seat where she put me into a set of handcuffs and told me that the car had central locking so there was no way I could get out of the car from the inside. I certainly hadn’t been thinking of trying to escape.
‘I am one of the senior staff of the Reformatory and you should know that it is run along the lines of a very strict boarding school since all of the inmates are in need of re-education as much as reformation. You had better get used to sitting with a very sore bottom because it is likely to be a constant state of affairs for you within the Reformatory given the nature of your offences and behaviour throughout the case. All of the details of your interview and court appearance have been circulated to all of the Reformatory staff and each and every one of us will be making sure that when you leave the Reformatory you will never break the law again. A standard stay in the Reformatory is 4 weeks and we always reform people in that time so be under no illusion that it will not happen to you. Indeed the process can be as difficult or as easy as you wish it to be’ this woman says as we are driving into the countryside to the north of Perth where the Reformatory is situated in extensive grounds and surrounded by a very high stone wall. There was only one entrance and exit in this wall which are very formidable looking steel gates. Once inside these gates it really did feel as if you were completely isolated from the real world and as you saw the three separate buildings that made up the Reformatory this sense of isolation only grew because even in the strong sunlight that they were currently bathed in the grey granite gave off a very bleak and forbidding appearance. The car was driven into a small car park just by the central building which was the biggest of the three and I was instructed to get out of the car which wasn’t the easiest thing in the world with my hands still in the cuffs and it was also very painful much to the amusement of my escort.
‘I am looking forward to seeing what a pretty picture the Correction Officer has painted on your bottom Kenneth and I am sure that all of the staff will take a keen interest in it because we are all aficionado’s of corporal punishment. The first people to get the opportunity to see it though will be the medical staff because they always carry out a full medical on new arrivals’ my escort announced as she was leading me through the building almost certainly in the direction of this medical room. Sure enough we stopped in front of a door that was marked ‘Infirmary’ and after a knock the door was opened and I was pushed inside by my escort coming face to face with a nurse who could only have been in her early twenties and a Matron who would be in her late thirties both in the proper medical uniforms.
‘You will strip completely naked Kenneth’ the Matron instructed and I did so before the nurse took extensive measurements of every part of my body before weighing me and checking things like my blood pressure, pulse and temperature. Every movement that I made was causing me pain and it wasn’t long before the instruction came to turn away from the staff then bend over and touch my toes, which was really painful.
‘That is an exemplary punishment. I bet it was Correction Officer Clifton who carried it out. Every part of the bottom is bruised and a layer of skin has been removed from the centre of each cheek indicating a very severe punishment but for his offences it is no less than he deserves. It means though that it will be at least one week before we can safely apply the cane or birch to this bottom however any other punishment implement will be possible immediately. I will check his bottom on a daily basis during inspection until such time as it is available for the full punishment spectrum’ the Matron says striking the fear of god into me because I knew that it wouldn’t be long before there was a practical demonstration of the punishment regime within the Reformatory. Once they had all had a sufficient look and feel of my bottom I was instructed to stand up and was given a list from the nurse that contained all of my size and health information that had been collected. I was instructed to pick up all of my clothes and was then led out of the infirmary along a corridor to a large store room where I had to hand over my own clothes and the list of measurements that I’d been given to another member of Reformatory staff and she went to fetch all of the items that I would need. To my dismay the garments that I was handed was a school uniform with shorts instead of trousers and when I was instructed to put them on I hated them because they made me feel incredibly stupid which I had absolutely no doubt was the intention. In addition to the main uniform I was handed a range of other clothing that I would need and it appeared that I had an allocation that would last me a week to judge from the number of sets of pants and socks that were included.
From this store room I was led to what was to become my home for the next six weeks and to all intents and purposes it was a prison cell rather than a room. The window that was in the space was small and high up on the wall and quite clearly it could not be opened from the inside or outside so its sole purpose was to let in a little bit of natural light. There was a single bed with a very thin mattress, 1 pillow a sheet and a blanket on it and apart from this the only other furniture was a small table and chair. The only sanitary facilities in the room were a small wash hand basin and a mirror but I did notice that on the table was a toilet kit so at least that was something. I noticed that the door to the room was a heavy piece of metal and it could only be locked and unlocked from the outside.
‘The number of your room denotes the space you will sit in during the daily assembly and in the dining hall so I would advise you to take a careful note of the number and memorise it’ my escort said sharply before I was led back down to the main entrance area for the building and over to a door which was marked ‘Headmistress’ to retain the school theme in the institution. I was led into this room and found myself facing a very stern looking woman in her late thirties sitting behind a large and very tidy desk. There was a second woman in the room who took a seat beside the Headmistress and then my escort took a seat on the other side of the Headmistress forming what looked like a very formidable interview panel. I was standing in front of them and because of my uniform I felt incredibly small and powerless whereas normally in this sort of situation I would be confident and assertive. It wasn’t an interview that I received more another interrogation starting with my educational career before moving onto my employment record and then finally on to the offences that had caused me to be sent here.
‘The fact that you have never been an employee of any organisation or seemed to have formed a deep relationship suggests to me that you are a deeply selfish and immoral person who has a real problem with authority. How would you respond to this?’ ‘I would disagree with that statement in its entirety. I was engaged to be married when I left university but unfortunately my fiancée was killed in a motorcycle accident and I have a large number of friends who would describe me as anything but selfish and immoral’.
‘Oh yes those would be the friends who you supplied pornographic material to Kenneth. Hardly a good character reference I would say. In your statement to the police and in the court you indicated that you did not feel that you had done any wrong with these offences. Having received the first part of your sentence do you still retain these feelings Kenneth?’
‘I know that I have broken the laws of the country and have been punished accordingly and I will not be repeating any of the offences’ I answer knowing that I’ve avoided the real substance of the question I’d been asked.
‘You will learn Kenneth that attempts to avoid questions or to answer a different question from what was asked or to be in any way economical with the truth will not be tolerated and will get you into a lot of trouble but we will give you the benefit of the doubt this time and ask you the question directly. Are you sorry for your actions?’
‘No. I know that I was wrong but I am not sorry for what I have done in the past’ I answer truthfully.
‘Well in that case Judge Everard has made a very wise decision to send you to us for a period of six weeks. As I am sure you were told in the journey to the Reformatory the standard sentence is a period between two and four weeks and even with that we turn out a re-educated and reformed character. In your case it may take a little longer to cure your ingrained immorality but it will happen and by the time you leave here you will be sorry for what you have done. Now you will go and wait outside this office while we decide on who will act as your Governess during your time in the Reformatory. You will wait in silence until you are called back into this office, any failure to do so will result in punishment for you. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes Ma’am’ I answer hoping that I have chosen a suitable form of address.
After about twenty minutes of sitting silently in the corridor a fourth member of Reformatory staff walks past me and into the Headmistress’ office. From the quick glance that I was able to get of her she appears to be very tall, elegant and probably in her early thirties. Another twenty minutes pass and this fourth woman summons me back into the office.
‘Kenneth this is Miss Thompson who will be your Governess during your six week stay in the Reformatory. Miss Thompson will now take you away and complete your intake into the Reformatory’ the Headmistress explains before Miss Thompson commands me to follow her in a very authoritative voice. I am led out of this building into the second of the major buildings and onto the second floor of the building where it became clear that the Reformatory staff had their private quarters. These private quarters were basically like individual one bedroom flats but the living area doubled as a classroom type environment including a couple of desks and chairs for pupils and more ominously a punishment horse. More ominously still a wide range of disciplinary equipment was on display in Miss Thompson’s room. I was directed to sit at one of the desks while Miss Thompson retrieved a couple of documents from a bookcase and sat down on the corner of the second desk so that she was physically superior to me but in a more informal setting.
‘Kenneth the role of the Governess in the Reformatory is to oversee your progress and to bring about the necessary reformation of your character. This is brought about through a range of group classes on relevant subjects either to ensure that you can fulfil a productive role in society following your release or just to re-educate you about certain aspects of society. It is also brought about by the individual meetings that I will be holding with you each and every day of your time in the Reformatory. I have been chosen to be your Governess because I am one of the younger staff and have a background in psychology so I am in the best position to be able to understand a complex character such as yourself because the Reformatory would not normally see people from your socio-economic background. However the main reason why I have been selected as your Governess is because I am one of the hardest punishers on the Reformatory staff and there is a clear understanding that regular and heavy punishment will be needed to reform you. For instance I will receive details of every punishment that you receive during your time at the Reformatory and in our individual meetings I will repeat the punishments as necessary. Do you have any questions on my role so far Kenneth?’ Miss Thompson asks.
‘No I do not have any questions on your role Miss Thompson’ I answer.
‘Each day in the Reformatory begins at 6.20am with a physical education lesson lasting for eighty minutes as we believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Breakfast is taken at 8am and lasts twenty minutes before you return to your room for a daily inspection. Inspection is a key part of the Reformatory experience and everything will be checked for signs of any indecent or immoral behaviour. You should be aware that masturbation is seen as being a particularly serious offence and all of your clothing and bedding is impregnated with a chemical that will stain purple as soon as it comes into contact with any unnatural secretions so you will not get away with this offence which automatically carries a double penalty. Classes for you will begin at 9am and in the morning will last for one hour finishing at 12pm when lunch is taken followed immediately by Assembly. Your afternoon class will begin at 2pm and will continue until 6pm as you will be in the Social Re-Education stream to correct your view of society. Dinner is taken at 6pm and lasts for forty minutes and as with all meals it is to be taken in silence with no visual, verbal or written contact with your fellow pupils. At 6.40pm those pupils who have to attend the Headmistress will line up outside of her office when you will be interviewed and sentenced. If you are not required to attend the Headmistress then from 6.40pm until 7.30pm you have free time however contact is not allowed with other pupils during this period. From 7.30pm you will report to me for a two hour period and then at 9.45pm it is lights out. This routine is the same for each day of the week except Sunday when the Assembly is replaced by a Church Service which is compulsory for all pupils. Do you have any questions?’
‘What classes will I be in?’ I ask.
‘From 9 until 10am you will be in Mathematics with Miss Innes, 10 until 11am you will be in German with Miss Reid, and 11 until 12pm you will be in English with Miss Wilson. Then from 2 until 6pm you will be in Social Studies with me and for the Physical Education class you will be in Miss Carter’s group’ Miss Thompson explains.
‘It may be helpful for you if I outline the punishment system that is used within the Reformatory. Each offence carries a six stroke penalty unless it is a double penalty in which case it is a twelve stroke tariff. If you should be stupid enough to repeat the same offence within a lesson then the penalty is automatically doubled and this will continue until you do not repeat the offence. Additionally each punishment that you receive carries one point, unless it is a repeat offence in which case it carries the number of the repeat for example a second offence is two points and a third repeat is three points. Should you receive more than five points on any day then you are required to attend the Headmistress that evening and then each Friday your points from the week are totalled and should you have twenty or more points then again you will have to visit the Headmistress. Should you hit either of these marks then rest assured that you will also be punished by me that evening. Serious offences are dealt with outside of this system and the punishment is determined on a case by case basis by the Senior Staff of the Reformatory in consultation with me. All of the punishments are carried out with implements of the same specification used in the Correction Centres and will be carried out on the bare bottom with the exception of a flogging, which is the most severe sanction available, which is delivered to the back and shoulders. A tawsing may also be given to the hands should the member of staff feel that this is appropriate. You would do well to take the following thought away with you from what I have just explained. It requires exemplary behaviour to avoid regular and severe punishment which is why this is called a Reformatory and my advice would be to think very carefully about what behaviour will be required to meet this standard because everyone else in the Reformatory will be thinking about it for you’ Miss Thompson says and I know she is trying to help me but I know that the system is designed to catch you repeatedly in its net and no matter what I do I will be no exception.
Handing me one of the documents that she had taken from the bookcase I saw that it was the rule book for the Reformatory and it was clear that almost every possible situation had been covered as it extended to over twenty pages. Miss Thompson runs through the main points of the rules and gets me to sign one of the copies indicating my agreement with all aspects of the rules and my obedience to them which was clever because it removed any option of saying that you didn’t know about a rule if you were caught breaking it so I knew that I was going to have to study this document quickly and thoroughly. Following this brief look at the rule book Miss Thompson tells me that the final part of my intake is a tour of the Reformatory so that I can never use the excuse of getting lost for either being late for a class or more importantly being out of bounds.
‘This building we are currently in is the ‘County’ building and apart from your daily meetings with me if you have the misfortune to be in this building then you are in trouble because it contains the special detention facilities including classrooms, cells and punishment rooms none of which you will want to visit but for your information the punishment rooms are on the top floor and everything else is on the ground floor or in the basement. I will not show you any of these rooms because that will lessen their impact should you need to visit them properly. The main building in the Reformatory is the ‘MacMillan’ building named after the founder of the Reform School that was originally on this site. You will already be familiar with the Infirmary and the Headmistress’ office but other than that this corridor is out of bounds unless accompanied by a member of staff or with written authorisation from a member of staff’. The dining hall is in this building on the ground floor and directly above this was the Assembly hall both of which had numbered seats and fairly impressive stages. What was frightening about the Assembly hall was the punishment horse that dominated the stage and which could be adjusted to suit almost any situation. Each teacher had a room that was specifically allocated to them and all of the classes that I would be in were in this building with the exception of my physical education class which was in the final major building on the site, the ‘City’ building. ‘Apart from normal classroom reasons you needn’t fear being in this building as there are no dedicated punishment facilities in it’ Miss Thompson explained but somehow it didn’t set my mind particularly at rest.
‘As it is now almost 6pm you shall begin your time in Reformatory with dinner and then a short period of free time before you report to me for your first meeting. I trust that you can remember where my room is Kenneth and will not be late?’
‘Yes Miss Thompson I can remember where your room is and I will not be late’ I answer before she leads me in the direction of the dining hall where we wait outside for the other inmates to appear and I take a place at the end of the line so that I could see the procedures first hand. I saw about forty other inmates split fairly evenly between males and females and they had been quite clever with the seating arrangements in the dining hall as there were tables for 8 people and from scanning round the room it was clear that they put males and females next to each other and also directly opposite to each other probably in the hope that some form of communication would take place between them that could then be punished. Sitting opposite me was a very pretty red head and I had a horrible suspicion that sooner or later this would cause me to be punished but thankfully there was no-one currently sitting on either side of me at the moment so that limited this risk. From the size of the dining hall it appeared that the Reformatory was currently operating at about half capacity which surprised me as I’d expected it to be full given the draconian nature of the penal code. In my free time I went back to my cell and lay face down on the bed because it was far too painful to lie on my back contemplating how I was going to get through the next six weeks. I knew that it was going to be very difficult because I have always had a very low boredom threshold and when I was at school and bored I was fractious so I expected going back to school in this fashion was going to be a nightmare leading almost certainly to lots more punishments.
‘If you can show the same behaviour throughout your time in the Reformatory as you demonstrated during dinner then you will fit in very well’ Miss Thompson said almost as soon as I’d entered her room and sat down at the desk in front of her. Miss Thompson took a much more informal approach with me in this meeting than she had during the induction but it was still very clear that he was in control and expected me to be open and honest with her. She was clearly trying to get inside my head to get at my motivations but was finding it very difficult because although I was not directly disobeying her I certainly was not opening myself up to her either and she knew it.
‘You are sailing very close to the wind Kenneth. Your answers to my questions are obstructive and very close to non-cooperation and I would be well within my rights to give you a double penalty for this but I will not do so tonight but should you repeat the behaviour tomorrow then I will have absolutely no hesitation in applying the double penalty’ Miss Thompson said calmly as I was being dismissed from her room. I slept on my side that night because I couldn’t get comfortable on my back because of the pain in my bottom and sleeping face down has never been something I could do. By nature I am an early riser so was up at 5.30am in preparation for my physical education class and had changed into the kit, which was absolutely horrible, well before my cell was opened. I had also had the time to prepare my room for inspection as per the rule book. The class itself comprised of a seven stage circuit training session with ten minutes at each circuit and only one minute of rest between them and Miss Carter was keeping a close eye on everybody’s intensity levels and she gave one warning for lack of effort before delivering a punishment for the next offence and every subsequent one. I was well used to early morning exercises so this didn’t cause me any problems and it was actually quite a nice start to the day particularly as I was in direct competition with the redhead who sat opposite me in the dining hall. I didn’t escape punishment completely though because I was the last one out of the changing rooms and was thus deemed to be too slow and found myself bending over to touch my toes as Miss Carter dropped my shorts and pants before applying a very sharp six strokes with the tawse that she had been carrying throughout the lesson. These hurt but somehow I managed to stay still and silent so no more were added at the end. I was sent to get my breakfast and discovered that even in the height of summer it was porridge for breakfast and I’ve always detested porridge but forced it over my throat because it was an offence to refuse a meal in the Reformatory.
I returned to my cell and laid out my PE kit on the bed and waited for the inspection party to arrive. All of the Reformatory staff carried out the inspection so that every inmate was inspected every day and when the woman who had escorted me to the Reformatory yesterday arrived she was accompanied by the Matron who was to inspect the state of my bottom and determine whether it was fit to be caned or birched yet. As the Matron was inspecting my bottom the other woman was going through my room with a fine toothed comb and eventually got me for not having made the bed with sufficiently good hospital corners so as my bottom was already bare she gave me a very hard six strokes with a big wooden paddle. Each stroke landed with a loud splat and drew a sharp cry from me. I thought that I could already feel the bruises that this implement was leaving and I hated it. I almost wished that it was the much sharper pain of a cane that I was feeling which amazed me because I’d been delighted when the Matron had announced that I was not yet in a fit condition to receive the cane or the birch. Already for the day I was on two points so almost inevitably I knew that I would be on the Headmistress’ list this evening.
Mathematics was my first class of the day and I didn’t expect this to be too bad because I have always been quite good with numbers but as soon as I was in the class my hopes for an easy life were dashed as it was mental arithmetic that we were doing with a sheet of 100 questions each of which had to be answered with your working shown as well. I discovered just how reliant I had become on computers and the calculation function on spreadsheets when I was doing this particularly the long-division questions which utterly defeated me because I just couldn’t remember the technique I’d been taught in school all those years ago. I left these questions until the end hoping that it would come back to me but it didn’t and I was looking out of the window for inspiration.
‘Are you finished your work Kenneth?’ Miss Innes asked when she spotted me looking out of the window.
‘No Miss Innes’ I truthfully answered.
‘In that case why are you looking out of the window and not at your work?’
‘I am looking for inspiration’ I answered somewhat impertinently and forgot to add Miss Innes at the end of my statement to compound my error.
‘Well let me see if a six stroke penalty for idleness and a six stroke penalty for impertinence gives you the inspiration you need. You will come to the front of the class and bare your bottom’ Miss Innes said very sharply. I almost made a protest at this but stopped myself just in time. I watched in horror as Miss Innes selected a wooden paddle and when I was at the front of the class with my bottom bared she ordered me to bend over her desk. I was expecting hell to descend on my bottom and that was certainly what happened as twelve very hard blows landed on my bottom and at the very tops of my thighs.
‘It appears that you have already been a naughty boy today’ she commented just before commencing the punishment and at this rate I was going to break the twenty point weekly limit on my first day never mind over the first week. I was sent back to my seat to complete my work at the end of the punishment and it was very difficult to see the paper through my cloudy eyes and to concentrate because I couldn’t stop fidgeting on the seat. It appeared as if every member of Reformatory staff that I came into contact with that day was intent on making her own mark on my bottom and my mind. Miss Reid got me for idleness in her German class when again I had been looking into space as opposed to working from the textbook that was in front of me. Unfortunately for me she then caught me for a second time in the same lesson so I ended up taking eighteen hard strokes from her tawse on my bottom but then she also took a look at my writing and deemed that it was not neat enough so I also got six strokes of the tawse on my non-writing hand. I almost swore during this but just managed to bite my tongue in time as that would only have given me more punishment. The four points that I’d received in Miss Reid’s class saw me over the five points and then I had Miss Wilson for English and she used my writing to give me one punishment and again she used my non-writing hand. This time I did swear under my breath at the end of the punishment but it obviously wasn’t far enough under my breath because I was heard and awarded a double penalty for using foul and abusive language which was paid off with the tawse on my bare bottom.
I was very glad that it was lunchtime after this class because I was sure that the punishments would continue if it had been another class. Even at lunch though I had to really watch my step because networking and social contact is such a big part of my life at any meal time but in the Reformatory it is expressly forbidden. At least the others who had been here for longer than I had were helping me with this as they kept their heads down so as not to attract the attention of any of the staff who were patrolling around the dining hall like hawks waiting for their prey to appear. At least lunch itself was reasonable and healthy so I could console myself that I would have plenty of exercise and a good diet for the next six weeks which should help me to maintain and even improve on my physique. Assembly passed me by in a complete daze and then it was time for my afternoon of Social Studies with Miss Thompson. This turned out to be a lecture on indecency followed by a more open discussion of the topic for those who were in this class and it was here that she managed to give me my punishments as I found it very difficult to put my hand up and waiting to be instructed to speak before actually saying anything. She got me twice for this offence during the lesson and it probably would have been more but for the fact that the class was stopped for dinner. My name was the last one of half a dozen on the list to see the Headmistress that evening and we were seen in the order on the list giving me even more time to stew on what awaited me.
‘As I thought yesterday you seem to have a real problem with authority. You have amassed a total of thirteen points today which suggests that either you do have a real problem with authority or that you are completely incapable of behaving in a decent and responsible fashion. Which is it Kenneth? In either case we will cure you of these faults’ the Headmistress said very sternly when I was standing in front of her in the office. It was a very clever question as either option would see me admitting to a major fault so I had to think of another option quickly.
‘I am just finding it difficult to adjust my brain to the work patterns of being back in a school setting but I am trying to remain within the rules so I guess that means that I do have a problem with authority’ I answer being unable to come up with a viable alternative option quickly enough.
‘At last some honesty Kenneth. It might be the case that you are trying but you are obviously not trying hard enough. To give you an incentive to try even harder your penalty for exceeding five points today is to receive a birching when the Matron indicates that you are fit to receive this sanction. This birching will be at the rate of one stroke for each point you accumulate between now and that date. Should you breach the twenty point limit this week you will be separately punished for this’ was the sentence that the Headmistress delivered. This put me into a state of deep fear because I knew that I would breach the twenty points and would probably have a very large total by the start of next week which was probably when my bottom was fit to be birched if what the Matron had said yesterday was correct and I had no reason to doubt that it would be. I went straight from the Headmistress to Miss Thompson and it was hard to say which was the most scary because as soon as I stepped into Miss Thompson’s room I saw her holding a tawse in her hands obviously with the intention of using it on me and the stony look on her face gave me no cause for optimism about the next two hours either.
‘Even taking into account that it was your first full day in the Reformatory thirteen points is an appalling tally. In fact I don’t know if anyone has ever been higher. I clearly have my work cut out to reform you Kenneth. You will bare your bottom and bend over the desk. Each point that you amass in your time here will earn you at least one stroke of punishment from me in this evening meeting. Do I make myself clear Kenneth?’ Miss Thompson said very sharply.
‘Yes Miss Thompson’ was all that I could say in response. Although all of the punishments that I’d received during the day had been hard there had been a real extra kick to those given by Miss Thompson in the afternoon and she was about to demonstrate that this was not a one-off occurrence. Her first stroke caught me right on the crease and I gave a loud cry in response before the second stroke landed just above the crease and then the third one just above that stroke each with an overlap that could be clearly felt from the extra heat and pain. It was a truly awesome punishment that Miss Thompson delivered as she overlapped six strokes on the way up my bottom before duplicating the pattern exactly on the way down back to the crease which then received the thirteenth and final stroke for the moment at least. Tears were flowing down my cheeks before Miss Thompson was finished with me and to try and avoid further punishment I was much more co-operative with Miss Thompson when she started to probe me about myself and my feelings towards the offences that I had committed.
From the utter hardness that was evident in Miss Thompson when she was punishing me her personality had softened as she was questioning me making it much easier to open up to her. I was still keeping all of the information about Sarah back though because I could sense that if I started to talk about it then Miss Thompson would be able to get the whole story out of me and I didn’t want that to happen. From the questions that Miss Thompson asked it was obvious that she had been studying what I’d said to the Headmistress when I first arrived and she could sense that I was holding something back and almost certainly knew what it concerned but she didn’t press me on it because I would have refused to answer and taken the ensuing severe penalty. This showed an excellent reading of me on Miss Thompson’s part and a subtlety of approach that would almost certainly get all of the information from me in the end.
The remainder of my first week in the Reformatory passed in much the same vein as the first day although the staff didn’t seem to have quite the same desire to pounce on me but that could have been because there were some other newcomers or that my behaviour was improving already. I guessed that it was the first of these reasons and the Thursday proved this to be the case as I again breached the five points in a day rule which took me over the twenty point limit for the week so I had to visit the Headmistress again that evening.
‘Regrettably Kenneth it is no surprise to me that I am seeing you again this week. For breaking the five points rule they will simply be added to your initial birching whenever that may take place. For breaking the twenty points rule within three days of arriving in the Reformatory you will receive an additional twenty strokes of the birch on top of your points total when it takes place and I am formally putting you on a final warning for a flogging. This means that should you break the twenty point mark again then you shall be flogged and also should you commit any other serious offence this is the likely outcome’ the Headmistress said so again I’d actually avoided punishment having visited her but only because it was delayed which was actually probably even worse because it was always at the back of my mind gnawing away at my resolve. This combined with the threat of a flogging did seem to get through to me though because I was incredibly quiet on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday receiving positive comments from Miss Thompson each evening. It probably also helped that I realised that the concentration that I was having to show to these boring classes would actually help me focus on my consultancy work better so I could probably take on a wider range of projects and work more efficiently through them. It was on the Monday morning that the Matron confirmed that my bottom was now in a fit enough condition to be caned and birched so I received word that my birching would take place at assembly that afternoon and that as opposed to having lunch I should present myself at the infirmary for preparation.
I knocked on the door of the Infirmary just after 12pm and was brought into the room by the nurse who had measured me last Monday and both she and the Matron had smiles on their faces as they knew what was going to happen to me.
‘Strip completely Kenneth’ the nurse commanded and I hastened to obey before she carried out a thorough investigation of my body paying particular attention to my bottom. She poked and prodded at every part of my bottom and although it was still quite hard from all of the punishment I’d received last week it wasn’t too bad and actually felt quite smooth as all of the scabs from my punishment in the Correction Centre had now fallen off but I knew that the marks were still very visible.
‘Bend over the end of the bed Kenneth’ she then commanded and I felt her placing some very cold gel around and inside my anus before pushing a nozzle against it. I struggled against the invasion but to no avail as the nurse quickly had the nozzle inside me and attached to this was a rubber tube so I knew that I was about to experience an enema to thoroughly clean me out. What seemed like pints of liquid were poured inside of me and it felt incredibly uncomfortable being bent over with this swilling about inside me. I kept pleading to be allowed to go to the bathroom but permission was not granted for at least five minutes. I was cramping up quite badly by this time so it was a real relief to be able to expel the liquid into the toilet but just to deepen the humiliation the nurse was watching me throughout grinning at the grimace that was on my face. I was then brought out of the toilet and was dressed in a gown that tied up at the back so that my modesty could be preserved but my bottom would be very easy to reveal to the audience that would witness the punishment. It was the nurse that led me to the outside of the Assembly Hall waiting for the signal to bring me in which came when the Matron opened the door at the back of the hall. I was paraded past all of the other inmates and up onto the stage at the front of the hall where the punishment horse was beckoning maliciously.
‘In a disgraceful show of disrespect for the rules of the Reformatory Kenneth amassed thirteen points on his very first day which is a new record for this establishment and certainly not one that he should be proud to hold. And then within three days he had broken the twenty point rule which again is a new low in the history of the establishment. For both of these offences he was sentenced to a birching but this was deferred due to the highly effective job that the Correction Officer did on his bottom for the original offences. This period of deferment ended this morning and as such the birching will now take place. Kenneth has received a total of thirty five points equating to thirty five strokes of the birch to which will be added a further twenty strokes for his breach of the twenty point rule. Therefore a total of fifty five strokes of the birch will now be delivered and I will deliver them myself to highlight just how seriously I view his offences. Nurse will you attach Kenneth to the horse and bare his bottom for the audience to see because the humiliation will do him good and all members of the audience should reflect closely on this punishment as I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting the rules of the Reformatory in this manner’ was the lecture that chilled me to the core and brought a murmur from the audience.
Very efficiently the nurse put me over the horse and worked her way round the straps buckling them tightly so that I couldn’t move much at all. Finally after buckling the waist strap she undid the ties of the gown that were covering my bottom and moved the flaps down to my sides and tied them around the waist belt on either side so that they couldn’t get in the way. I couldn’t describe the fear that was within me at that time because it was even worse than what I’d felt before my punishment at the Correction Centre. I didn’t see the birch but felt the Headmistress tapping it against my bottom and it felt very thick and almost rough. It was pulled away from my bottom and I sucked in a large lungful of air as it was forcing its way down to my bottom with a whirring sound. It landed with a loud crack as the separate withes collided with my bottom and each other. For some reason it didn’t seem to be that painful but this view soon changed as stroke after stroke crashed into my bottom enveloping me within an envelope of hurt that just seemed to tighten around me until it overwhelmed me completely and I gave a shout of pain. Needless to say this reaction didn’t lessen the intensity of the punishment in the slightest. I tried to just let the sensations wash over me but the Headmistress was far too clever for this and kept varying the timing of the strokes and the placement of them so that I never knew when or where the next bite would be felt. By the end of it my bottom felt like it had been torn to ribbons and the strokes were landing in a pool of blood but when I did get the chance to see the damage later in the night it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. It certainly wasn’t a pretty sight though and I hoped that I would never have to go through it again but I was fairly certain that it would happen again as part of my reformation.
After the birching I kept my head down to try and keep my nose clean with some success although generally speaking I received at least one punishment a day often from Miss Thompson in her Social Studies class that she then repeated in the evening. I discovered that Miss Thompson’s skills extended to every possible implement and that her favourite was probably the cane followed by the tawse. This attempt to blend in brought my previous sexual submission to the surface and broadened it out into a broader submission to authority but more worryingly I started to derive considerable enjoyment from witnessing the many punishments that took place during classes and particularly the more formal punishments during assembly. It was this latter characteristic that was to contribute to my next birching. On the Thursday of my third week in the Reformatory the very pretty redhead, Melissa, who sat opposite me in the dining hall was not present at lunch so I knew that she was down to be punished in the assembly. We had managed to make eye contact a few times during breakfast in particular and had even risked some conversations when we had the little bit of free time after dinner. During one of these conversations she had admitted that she’d really loved seeing my birching the other week and it appeared that I was now going to have the opportunity to see her bare bottom dance under its own punishment. It turned out that she had slapped another inmate during a class and as such was going to receive twenty four strokes of the cane. It was Miss Thompson who delivered what was a very severe caning to what was an absolutely perfect bottom in my eyes. Each stroke left a deep purple imprint on the skin and by the time Miss Thompson was halfway through the caning she was drawing screams from her victim and these really stuck in my mind.
I couldn’t get the images of the caning out of my mind and Miss Thompson gave me my own caning during our meeting for the distracted state that my mind was in but it didn’t take the images away. Although I was aware of the risk that I was taking I masturbated and unloaded my cream into the sink before washing it down but I didn’t take enough care as some dripped down onto my pants and as I’d been warned a purple stain immediately spread over the offending area. Seeing this I knew that I was in trouble the following day anyway so when my mind wandered back over the events that led to me being in the Reformatory they got back to what Marie and I had done and the wonderful prospect of dating such a sexy woman. I played with myself again at the thought of what Marie and I could get up to if we were out of Scotland as what had happened in the club did suggest that she would be willing to enjoy herself in the right situation. I just climaxed into my pants this time and watched the stain spread over the full area but it didn’t get any more vivid in colour. In my physical education class Miss Carter seemed to be targeting me and she decided at one point that I was not putting enough effort in but before she could deliver her six strokes she heard me muttering a protest about it being unfair so I also got a double penalty for insubordination making eighteen strokes in total which were given with a cane. She placed these strokes across the full expanse of my bottom meaning that anyone punishing me later in the day would have plenty of fresh weals to target as they would often double up if using a cane or deliberately choose the tawse or wooden paddle to get at every welt more effectively.
I knew that I was in trouble before the inspection and was just waiting resignedly for the teacher to arrive and her eyes visibly light up when she walks into the room and sees the purple stain.
‘That looks like more than one ejaculation to me boy’ Miss Carter says as she is inspecting my room that day much to my dismay given the caning she had just given me.
‘It is only one ejaculation Miss Carter’ I respond confidently.
‘It can be checked whether it is one or two ejaculations boy. If you are lying to me then you can rest assured that you will be found out and at the minimum it will be another birching for you. Do you wish to change your story?’
‘No Miss Carter it is only one ejaculation’ I answer.
‘You will bare your bottom and bend over the end of the bed for your double penalty caning and then I will report my suspicions to the Headmistress and you will be on the list for this evening Kenneth’ Miss Carter says before doubling up on twelve of her previous strokes with this caning deepening the welts into heavy purple bruising. I somehow managed to get through the morning without any punishment in my classes although quite how I don’t know as my mind was in absolute pieces and this came back to haunt me in my Social Studies class with Miss Thompson. She had us looking at Scottish political history and particularly the lead up to independence and the first few years of independence. She started with general politics before moving onto the changes in judicial procedures that independence had heralded.
‘Class, how would you describe the current legal system in Scotland’ Miss Thompson asked almost as if she was setting a trap for someone. Inevitably I walked right into her trap.
‘The current legal system is completely corrupt and valueless’ I answer with real vehemence and anger in my voice having opened my mouth before even putting my brain into gear never mind engaging it. I see a visible look of shock on Miss Thompson’s face at my answer.
‘Did I hear you correctly Kenneth?’ Miss Thompson asks.
‘Yes Miss Thompson you did hear me correctly’ I replied knowing that to lie and deny what I’d said would only cause me a lot more trouble as the other inmates would understandably have reported the truth to protect themselves.
‘In that case Kenneth you will come to the front of the room and explain to us all why you say the system is corrupt and valueless’ Miss Thompson instructed putting me in a catch-22 situation because if I do explain what I have said I will dig myself into a very deep hole that will bring in lots of innocent people but if I do not explain then I will be punished for refusing to obey a direct instruction.
‘I am afraid that I am unable to provide an explanation for my comments’ I say having walked to the front of the class.
‘That is a real shame Kenneth because I’m sure the class would have been interested to hear your reasons and I know I certainly would. At least however it does demonstrate that you have not taken leave of your senses completely. You will take a double penalty for refusal to obey an instruction and we will be discussing this matter more fully this evening’ Miss Thompson informed me and the class. Seeing the state of my bottom Miss Thompson decided that she would use her tawse for the punishment and she placed each of the twelve strokes directly over one of the doubled up cane strokes that Miss Carter had inflicted making the bruising even deeper and more widespread. I was absolutely dreading the discussion this evening because it would be impossible to hide anything from Miss Thompson now that I had given her a very strong clue to my motivations for the offences. But before that meeting starts I have to visit the Headmistress for my masturbation offence this morning and this I am definitely going to try and maintain my story of it only being one ejaculation. Miss Carter was with the Headmistress when I entered the office as was the nurse.
‘How many times did you masturbate last night Kenneth’ the Headmistress asked me directly.
‘Once’ I answered immediately and confidently.
‘The evidence suggests that it was more than once and if you are lying to us then you shall be flogged’ the Headmistress said as all three of them watched me intently to see if there was any reaction or sign of weakness that would give me away. I held the steely gaze of the Headmistress without blinking as if challenging her to categorically prove that I had masturbated more than once last night.
‘The evidence is not conclusive that you masturbated more than once last night Kenneth but it strongly suggests that is the case. We will give you the benefit of the doubt on this occasion however our suspicions will remain on record and should you masturbate again during your time in the Reformatory the punishment will be even more severe and you will have to sleep in a harness that will prevent any repeat. You will no doubt also be aware that you have broken the five point rule today so you will now receive twenty four strokes of the birch tomorrow during assembly and Miss Carter will administer them. You are now free to go to your appointment with your Governess’ the Headmistress said dismissing me from her presence.
I expect Miss Thompson to be in a very angry mood when I visited her for my meeting but she was surprisingly calm as I entered the room although she was holding the tawse again.
‘You have had a real lapse in your behaviour today and I will not allow this to continue. You masturbated at least once last night and then received a further six points during the day and that is even before we consider your outburst during Social Studies this afternoon. We shall discuss this shortly but for now you will bare your bottom and receive eighteen strokes with this tawse to show you that I will not tolerate this slipping of your behaviour’ Miss Thompson says with calmness in her voice and I suppose I should have been nervous remembering my Mother who was always calm and quiet when she was livid. This calmness carried through to her application of the tawse which was absolutely devastating.
‘Although you said that you were unable to explain your comments in the Social Studies class this afternoon I do not believe that this is actually the case. I believe that you genuinely meant what you said and that being the case it will explain a lot about your offences and your unwillingness to accept your guilt for them. Is that the case Kenneth?’ Miss Thompson asks.
‘Yes you are correct Miss Thompson. I did mean everything that I said and yes it is the main reason why I cannot accept any guilt for my offences as they did not affect any innocent 3rd party. However I am unable to talk to you or anyone about the reasons for the outburst’ I answer with a tear welling up in my eye. This was a genuine tear and not a ploy for sympathy on my part. I give in and let the tears flow and put my head in my hands.
‘If you will not talk about the problem then there is nothing that I can do to help you’ Miss Thompson says obviously taken aback by this show of emotion from me because it is the first time that she would have seen it.
‘There is nothing that you can do to help the situation regardless of whether I talk to you or not’ I answer.
‘Does this relate to the death of your fiancée that you mentioned in your initial interview in the Reformatory?’
‘Yes it does relate to this fact. Next week it would have been our seventh wedding anniversary and it is just over a month since the seventh anniversary of Sarah’s death so this is always a very emotional time of the year for me’ I answer still with tears rolling down my cheeks now and then.
‘You called the system valueless and corrupt this afternoon? Is this a direct reflection of your fiancée’s death?’ Miss Thompson asks.
‘I am afraid that I cannot comment on that matter’ I answer which is almost as good as a confirmation in Miss Thompson’s eyes.
‘I will find out what has happened but understand that you cannot comment on the situation. I will not be punishing you for your refusal to answer my questions in this area. This was another example of Miss Thompson’s skill in reading people because more punishment would not have made me open up to her and indeed it may even have made me more intransigent towards her in the remainder of my time in the Reformatory whereas by not punishing me she was giving me the feeling that I could trust her.
At breakfast the following morning I was very subdued both because of the punishment that was waiting for me but also because I was still upset having let strong thoughts of Sarah back into my head last night in what was a horrible environment for them to be in. I completely ignored Melissa after having mouthed ‘trouble’ to her as we were sitting down. She gave me a gentle smile of support and then showing great dexterity she used her feet to drop a very short note into my lap which as we were standing up at the end of the meal I managed to get into my pocket without it being seen. I was able to read this note before the teacher arrived to carry out the inspection.
“I am being released from the Reformatory tomorrow. It has been a pleasure seeing you punished and I know that you enjoyed seeing me thrashed the other day. Take care of yourself for the next few weeks. Love Melissa x” was the very kind note which I swallowed as it was the only safe method of disposal given the inspection which seemed to be even more thorough than normal and again it was Miss Carter who was doing my room.
‘You are going to pay for humiliating me Kenneth. The birching you will receive at Assembly will make you wish you have never been born’ Miss Carter says malevolently as she is leaving the room having been unable to find anything to punish me for. The preparations for the birching were exactly the same but at least this time I knew what was going to happen so was able to cope with the enema more easily. Miss Carter’s anger was clear to see as she stepped forward to me when I was finally over the horse but with this anger was a clear headed calmness and this did frighten me particularly when I saw the birch she had in her hands as it was made of four limbs each of which was about the thickness of my little finger and it was also still pretty green. There was no tap on my bottom before the first stroke smashed into it. This time I was determined that Miss Carter was not going to get a scream from me although she did get plenty of gasps and moans as she worked almost exclusively around the crease and the tops of my thighs. I could definitely feel the blood by the middle of this punishment and knew that because of where it had been delivered sitting was going to be incredibly painful for the next few days while the cuts covered themselves up.
This birching and the lecture from Miss Thompson about getting back to my previous standards of behaviour worked and for the next ten days I was very well behaved and didn’t come near to the five point limit on any day. Miss Thompson had also moved away from the subject of Sarah for the moment and I was definitely opening up to her about everything else now and there was definitely some evidence of reform in my behaviour. On the Sunday of my penultimate week in the Reformatory I wanted to test my fitness out and prove to Miss Carter who still seemed to have it in for me that I was on the path to reform. I had started the circuit training at 110% intensity and I was intending to work myself to the point of being physically sick but for the first time I misread my own body signals because I was feeling brilliant when I stopped completely during my seventh stage which was shuttle runs. I was vaguely aware of Miss Carter making a move towards me but then everything went blank, My next memory was waking up in the Infirmary lying on my side on one of the beds. The nurse was sponging my face down and I rolled away from her and was violently sick in a bowl before having some water which came right back up as well.
‘What happened?’ I asked the nurse.
‘You fainted during the physical education lesson and fell to the floor landing on your right hand side. You were unconscious for a couple of minutes so will be spending the rest of the day in the Infirmary under observation’ the nurse explained. This was quite possibly the most boring day of my life and I vowed that I would make the most of my remaining classes to brush up on my skills in the areas and this convinced everyone that I was a reformed character but there was still one major punishment awaiting me. On the Monday of my final week Melissa’s seat in the dining hall was filled by another woman and as she sat down at breakfast I recognised her and she recognised me even though we hadn’t seen each other for seven years. Alison had been one of Sarah’s closest friends at university and was going to have been her only bridesmaid at the wedding. I’d last seen Alison at Sarah’s funeral and although we’d written a few times afterwards we’d gradually lost touch as Alison was living and working in London. I had no idea that she had come back to Scotland so was surprised to see her. Alison made the fatal mistake of looking at me during the meal.
‘Ignore me’ I hissed at her under my breath but she didn’t do it quickly enough and was caught by one of the patrolling staff. Thankfully for me I wasn’t caught but I would definitely be taking the opportunity to speak to her at one time to warn her of the regime and the need to ignore me while we are here. Alison was not at lunch so I knew that her punishment was going to take place at Assembly as it had obviously been deemed a serious offence. It was absolutely no surprise to me when Alison put up a real struggle as she was brought forward by the nurse and attached to the block because she had always been a feisty girl at university.
‘This girl is a new arrival in the Reformatory and has arrived here with a reputation for violence against people in authority a trend which is continuing. We will nip it in the bud from the start. In direct contravention of the rules she made contact with a fellow inmate for the second time at breakfast. Her initial punishment was to be twenty strokes with the wooden paddle but in view of the continuing violence displayed by the offender this has been changed to thirty strokes with the wooden paddle’ the Headmistress announces.
I can hardly bare to watch Alison’s punishment but knew that not to do so would have gotten me into trouble myself as it was an essential part of the process that other inmates watched to humiliate the offender but also to remind the watchers of what would happen to them in the same circumstances. Alison struggled throughout her punishment and by the end of it her whole bottom was purple with bruising. I truly feared for Alison if she had come to the Reformatory with a reputation for violence against authority as her continuing struggles seemed to show as all of the staff would be targeting her for special attention until they had broken her will. A very sore looking Alison took her place at dinner and ignored me which was good. I was able to use the same dexterity that Melissa had shown with me to drop a note in Alison’s lap.
“I will see you in your cell after dinner” is all that the note says. I know that if I am caught then I will be flogged because it will be one serious offence too far for the Headmistress but it is a chance that I will have to take because I feel that I must warn Alison about what to expect and how to behave. I get into Alison’s cell without any difficulty and push the door closed which was an offence in itself according to the rules.
‘If we are caught in contact you should let me take all of the blame’ was the first thing I said to Alison and she made no response but knowing her like I did this would not happen. ‘I would advise you not to do anything to rock the boat Alison. You will really suffer if you do and this advice comes from someone who has been here for five weeks and has unsuccessfully tried to fight the system. Eventually they will break you down so you can save yourself a lot of pain particularly if you do have a reputation for violence and struggling’ I say and Alison is nodding with this and I get the sense that she means it, ‘what are you doing here anyway?’ I finally ask.
‘I came back to Scotland to live and work a few months ago following the break-up of my marriage in London. I wanted a fresh start in an environment I knew even if it was completely different. I have been trying to find you for a while because I needed to talk to you about what happened to Sarah. When I couldn’t find you I went out one night and got very drunk. I was stopped by a policeman as I was walking home and he breathalysed me but then for some reason I took offence at something he said or did and I decked him. His colleague cuffed me before she breathalysed me. I was charged with being drunk in public and assaulting a police officer receiving thirty strokes of the cane for each offence along with six weeks here to curb my temper. What are you in here for and how much longer are you in for?’ Alison asked.
‘I am in here for being drunk in public, having used cannabis, carrying out a range of indecent and immoral offences and finally for supplying pornography to people. I received a total of one hundred and ninety strokes with the tawse and cane as well as six weeks here. This is my last week and I will get out next Monday’ I answer.
‘None of that surprises me Ken’ Alison says with a smile before turning serious again ‘what actually happened to Sarah? I’ve been doing some digging and something just doesn’t add up’.
‘I can’t tell you what happened just at the moment but you are right something doesn’t add up. Once you are out of here I will tell you what happened and we can plan what we are going to do about it but whatever you do don’t do anything on your own until you have spoken to me because it will be dangerous’ I say and unfortunately at that point a member of staff passes along the corridor and spots the closed door. She pushes it open and finds Alison and me talking which brings a wicked smile to her face.
‘This is my fault’ I say but am cut off.
‘I would save your breath Kenneth because I’m sure the Headmistress will be very interested in what you have to say about this serious breach of the rules’ the staff member says as she is leading us both to the Headmistress’ office. We are left standing outside the Headmistress’ office as the staff member goes inside to explain what she found and then we are taken in together and have to wait under the steely gaze of the Headmistress as both of our Governess’ are called to the room. Miss Thompson and Miss Carter both look furious as they enter the room and very sensibly Alison and I remain silent until we are spoken to.
‘I know that you both know that communication between inmates is expressly forbidden and I would have thought that having been punished already today for the offence you would have had more sense Alison than to allow this communication to take place. Would either of you care to explain yourself?’ the Headmistress asks.
‘We are old friends and having seen Alison punished I simply wanted to warn her not to rock the boat. I was responsible for initiating the contact and know that such communication is forbidden’ I say.
‘Yes we are old friends but Ken is not wholly responsible for the contact’ Alison adds at the end.
‘I consider you both to be equally culpable of this offence. However your punishment will be much more severe Kenneth as you have been repeatedly warned about your conduct during your time in the Reformatory. Alison you will be birched for this offence and Kenneth you will be flogged. You will wait outside my office while we decide on the exact sentences that you will receive’ the Headmistress says and we leave the room. I know that I am scared by what awaits me and Alison appears to be feeling the same fear. The fact that it is over fifteen minutes before we are called back into the room does nothing to lessen the fear.
‘Alison you will receive thirty six strokes of the birch delivered in private, with the exception of the people in this room, to be delivered immediately and if any further offences of a serious nature occur then you will be flogged. For that reason you shall watch Ken receiving his flogging. A flogging is reserved for the most serious of offences and the maximum number that can be imposed is twenty five lashes. I had a good mind to award you the full twenty five lashes but Miss Thompson has informed me that this week is the anniversary of the wedding that had to be cancelled following the death of your fiancée and as such you’re not capable of fully rational thought. For that reason you will receive fifteen lashes to be delivered immediately in private with the exception of the people in this room. These punishments will take place in one of the special punishment rooms and your respective Governess’ will take you to the room now and prepare you for the punishment’ the Headmistress says clearly and calmly.
‘Thank you’ I say softly to Miss Thompson as she is leading me to the punishment room and she just looks at me as if saying you will have some explaining to do to me once this punishment is completed. As soon as we are in the punishment room I realise just how bleak the rooms are because there is no source of natural light only the harshness of artificial light reflecting off of bare whitewashed walls. It was a very high ceilinged room and the air within it was cold and harsh reflecting perfectly the fact that the sole purpose of the room was the infliction of punishment and pain. There is a whipping post on one side of the room and close to another wall is a matching punishment bench to that found in the Assembly hall. Just to emphasise this even further the implements of correction are displayed in a glass fronted cabinet in a corner of the room.
‘You will both strip completely naked and await the Headmistress who will witness these punishments. We, as your Governess’ will be carrying out your respective punishments’ Miss Thompson commands before watching as we both strip quickly. Whether the thought was that our friendship had been sexual and they would get some signs of arousal from either of us that could be punished further I don’t know but it certainly wasn’t the case. When the Headmistress arrived she had the Matron with her and they closed the heavy wooden door behind them which seemed to seal our fate.
‘Kenneth, you will be punished first. Miss Thompson if you would kindly administer the punishment’.
I am led over to the whipping post and my wrists are fitted into leather restraints that are hanging from a hook high up on the back of the post. I felt stretched by the height of these hooks and then my ankles were fitted into cuffs at the bottom of the post and a broad belt was placed around my lower back to protect the kidney area. I felt more and more vulnerable as each action took place and was terrified at what was going to happen. I closed my eyes but sensed Miss Thompson moving around behind me and then taking up her position on my left hand side. I heard the fairly dull swish as the whip moved through the air and then the crack as it impacted across my upper back and right shoulder blade. Each of the tails seemed to find an individual spot to land and they all seemed to bite deeply into the skin. I tossed my head back in shock at the pain and a strangled cry left my throat. Miss Thompson paused to allow me to compose myself before delivering the second stroke and this was even worse because it seemed that her arm had been loosened by the first stroke meaning that it flowed through the target area even more deeply.
Even with just two strokes I knew why this was the ultimate sanction because it was completely unlike any other punishment that I had received either in the Correction Centre or the Reformatory. Miss Thompson was impeccable in her aim and timing of the strokes so that each of them was felt to the maximum. After only a quarter of the punishment my cries were piercing the air in the room and I could feel liquid running down my back but I wasn’t sure whether it was little trickles of blood or just trickles of the sweat that was breaking out on my body. All I was aware of was raw pain as the flogging continued but if I had been capable of hearing anything I would have heard Alison sobbing heavily behind me. I had no idea where we were in the punishment as I hadn’t been able to keep count beyond eight strokes as the pain had just become so overwhelming that it took over every fibre in my body. I didn’t hear any announcement that the punishment was over but after a few minutes I became aware that there were no more explosions of pain landing on my back but I was still in position which was quite good as it allowed me time to recover my breathing and my heart rate. It was also probably just as well because I’m sure that I would have collapsed had I been released.
As my body recovered slowly I became aware of Alison’s screams as she was receiving her punishment and it appeared that it was every bit as severe as the one that I had received. As Alison was being punished the Matron started to tend to the wounds on my back dabbing these with an antiseptic solution which really stung indicating the rawness of the skin and then she placed a large pad on my back and secured it with tape. Only once this had taken place was I released from the whipping post by Miss Thompson and I immediately turned to witness the end of Alison’s birching, or at least I hoped it was the end because of the state of her bottom already. Many trickles of blood were running down the backs and inside of her thighs and her bottom looked a real mess with the mix of bruising and bloody welts. Again the Matron tended to Alison’s bottom as she was recovering some composure over the bench prior to being released.
‘I trust that what you have both received will be sufficient to teach you the error of your ways. Alison should it fail to do so you will be flogged and as you have seen that is definitely not something to be trifled with. Ken you would simply receive the full twenty five strokes should you offend again’ the Headmistress said.
‘I have learnt my lesson and will not be back for another flogging’ I say very definitely even though my voice was quiet. Alison didn’t say anything but the look on her face told everyone that she didn’t want to go through a flogging.
‘Very well you will now get dressed before accompanying your Governess’ for the standard two hour meeting’ the Headmistress says and Miss Thompson leads me down the flight of stairs and along the corridor to her room.
‘Just what were you thinking of entering another inmates cell and talking to her in direct contravention of the rules?’ Miss Thompson asks with a bemused tone in her voice. Bemused by the sheer stupidity of my actions I had no doubt.
‘Alison was going to be Sarah’s bridesmaid and having seen her punished for trying to communicate with me at breakfast I wanted to warn her not to rock the boat but then we got talking about Sarah as we hadn’t seen each other since Sarah’s funeral. Don’t worry though I never want to go through anything like that again and as you will be aware my behaviour has been much better so that will continue for the rest of my time in the Reformatory’ I say truthfully.
‘I am very glad to hear that Kenneth’ Miss Thompson said before she probed me a little more about my feelings for Sarah and whether they were acting as a block on me moving forward with the rest of my life. I explained that I was beginning to feel that it was time to move on and intended to do so when I am freed from the Reformatory without mentioning how this was going to happen or who I hoped that it was going to happen with. I certainly was very quiet on the Tuesday and Wednesday as my back was still absolute agony with every movement that I made and again we were back to the Matron accompanying whoever was inspecting my room to change the dressing on my back. This dressing was removed on the Wednesday morning as the cuts had all scabbed over. When I had my meeting with Miss Thompson on the Wednesday evening there was a completely different tone to it from the start.
‘Inspector Johnson and Constable McLean visited me this morning to review your progress in the Reformatory and they are very happy with the changes that they see in your record. They have also told me that some very interesting information has come to light with regard to Sarah’s accident and I can now see what was behind your outburst in the Social Studies class three weeks ago. This time it is me who is not at liberty to share this information but you will find out on your release. I can also see why you find it difficult to accept your guilt for the offences but if you are prepared to say sorry for your offences when they re-interview you on Monday of next week then you will be freed and your record will be annotated accordingly. Saying sorry will in no way diminish the feelings you have for Sarah so I would advise you strongly to take this course of action’ Miss Thompson says and I respect her statement that she can’t share the information even though it has piqued my curiosity. By the time the Monday comes round I have decided that I will say sorry and put this whole sorry episode behind me once and for all.
I have to do the physical education class on Monday morning and then have breakfast before going through one final inspection. I am then taken back to the storeroom when I return all of the school property and am given all of my own property back.
Tags: birching, caning, enemas, F/m, flogging, interrogation, judicial punishments, paddling, reformatory, restraint, room inspections, witnessed punishments
