I attended S F X college on shaw st,after winning a scholarship from
St. Johns in kirkdale. In St Johns we a bamboo cane for punishment
which had a burnt end due to teachers burning the loose bits off after a period of use. In S F X we had a thing called a ferrula which was a 13"long
leather strap with supposedly a piece of whale bone in it. the teachers
never used it themselves but gave you a bill (a piece of paper with what you had done wrong, and how many lashes you had to recieve).this you took to the gym office at the end of the day or your dinner time,and a Jesuit brother would administer your punishment. There was always a
few lads waiting there so it was like waiting for a dentist.
gregs dad