The strap seemed to be an essential teaching aid for the Christian Brothers
The crack and the sting of a heavy leather strap as it hits your outstretched reddened fingers, the fear you feel as you watch one of your classmates being slapped around the head or beaten on the buttocks at a whole-school punishment assembly, the grotesque sensation of a teacher's gnarled old fingers caressing your scrotum... these are personal memories from nearly 60 years ago which have thankfully receded, especially on a beautiful day in June when I'm more preoccupied by the plight of my drought-stricken lawn or the blackspot on my roses.
The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster
And of course some former pupils of the Christian Brothers have no such memories of their schooldays, either through luck or because they've managed successfully to blot them out. As the Archbishop of Westminster, Mgr Vincent Nichols told me, he has "no complaints" about the education he received in the 1950s at St Mary's College, Crosby, the Christian Brothers' Grammar School that he attended in Liverpool.
http://millstonesblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/blinkered-archbishop.html
http://millstonesblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/blinkered-archbishop.html
The College was established as a boys' school in 1919 by the Christian Brothers and became a direct grant grammar school in 1946. When direct grants were abolished by the 1974-9 Labour Government the College became an independent school and is a member of the Headmasters' Conference. It began teaching girls in the sixth form in 1983 and became fully co-educational in 1989.
St Mary's College coat of arms
St Mary's College is now administered by laypersons and ceased to be one of the Christian Brothers' schools in January 2006 on becoming an independent charity. Although it is now run as an independent trust the school remains committed, as noted on its website, "to supporting the spiritual, educational and charitable principles of Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers movement." http://www.stmarys.ac/
Archbishop Nichols' words surprised me just a bit in view of what I've been reading about his old school in accounts by former pupils. Wikipedia may not be the ideal forum for establishing the truth about such matters, but at least some of its contributors are ready to testify in public by giving their names.
St Mary's College, Crosby
There's Eddie Hulme, for example, who believes in supporting "those who have documented what went on at this school so that no ever forgets." He points out that in today's society "if this behaviour was to take place those responsible would be in prison and for some be on the sex offenders register for life." He saw The Mount, the St Mary's prep school where he started in 1967, as "a grooming ground for what would occur at senior school."
"Try going home after a day at school and you can't pick anything up in your hands as they are still bruised and glowing from the strikes of a leather strap with a piece of metal inserted into it to make it harder and more painful," he recalls. "Thank God my parents let me leave in 1976 and didn't insist I stay." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Or Paddy Mckenna who attended St Mary's College from 1970 to 1974 "and hated every nano second," recalling a regime of "verbal taunting, physical pain, tears and the inevitable destruction of self esteem." He believes that "most pupils learned to be invisible or sycophantic, laughing at daily humiliations of their peers, thankful that they themselves were not on the receiving end of some pedant's 'wit' or violent outbust."
"To those that say that it wasn't that bad, I would reply that you were either very good at games, or academically brilliant or good at not getting noticed," states Paddy Mackenna. "Usually 'not getting noticed' meant making sure that someone else did, so shit stirring and the ability to drop someone else into the shit was a recognised survival skill." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Former pupil Tim Spooner, as I have noted elsewhere, has even set up St Mary's College Crosby Abuse Witness archive at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110624368948881
Another internet site notes that although corporal punishment was outlawed in 1986 in State schools, some independent schools, such as St. Mary's, retained its use until as late as 1998. "Humiliation and physical punishment were the basis of discipline within the school," it alleges. http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/St_Mary%27s_College,_Crosby#Discipline
Better known, because it was published in mainstream media, is the account in The Guardian of 23 April 1998 by former World in Action editor Steve Boulton. Memorably recalling his Latin teacher Brother Brickley as "a black-clad threshing machine," who "flailed at his pupils to bang Latin into them," Boulton also dwells on the theme of sexual abuse by staff, "a sad and furtive business" as he calls it. http://www.nospank.net/n-b54.htm
"Try going home after a day at school and you can't pick anything up in your hands as they are still bruised and glowing from the strikes of a leather strap with a piece of metal inserted into it to make it harder and more painful," he recalls. "Thank God my parents let me leave in 1976 and didn't insist I stay." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Or Paddy Mckenna who attended St Mary's College from 1970 to 1974 "and hated every nano second," recalling a regime of "verbal taunting, physical pain, tears and the inevitable destruction of self esteem." He believes that "most pupils learned to be invisible or sycophantic, laughing at daily humiliations of their peers, thankful that they themselves were not on the receiving end of some pedant's 'wit' or violent outbust."
"To those that say that it wasn't that bad, I would reply that you were either very good at games, or academically brilliant or good at not getting noticed," states Paddy Mackenna. "Usually 'not getting noticed' meant making sure that someone else did, so shit stirring and the ability to drop someone else into the shit was a recognised survival skill." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Former pupil Tim Spooner, as I have noted elsewhere, has even set up St Mary's College Crosby Abuse Witness archive at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110624368948881
Another internet site notes that although corporal punishment was outlawed in 1986 in State schools, some independent schools, such as St. Mary's, retained its use until as late as 1998. "Humiliation and physical punishment were the basis of discipline within the school," it alleges. http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/St_Mary%27s_College,_Crosby#Discipline
Better known, because it was published in mainstream media, is the account in The Guardian of 23 April 1998 by former World in Action editor Steve Boulton. Memorably recalling his Latin teacher Brother Brickley as "a black-clad threshing machine," who "flailed at his pupils to bang Latin into them," Boulton also dwells on the theme of sexual abuse by staff, "a sad and furtive business" as he calls it. http://www.nospank.net/n-b54.htm
John Birt's autobiography, The Harder Path, describes what he calls "a white-water ride of tumbles and excitements" which included his education at the hands of the Christian Brothers
And yet... and yet... St Mary's College is undoubtedly a successful school which has educated a formidably impressive list of ex-pupils. Not just the present Archbishop of Westminster, but Lord John Birt, Director-General of the BBC, the diplomat Sir Ivor Roberts, the poet Roger McGough... the list goes on and on.
So can't we moaners just 'get over it'? One former pupil who thinks that we should is outraged by the complaints made by what he calls "a small group of vociferous, angry and apparently traumatised Old Boys/Girls" who are apparently planning to record the history of the school.
"I was strapped at St. Mary's relentlessly in the first year by brothers and lay staff alike but learned my lesson," he writes. "We have to move on in life and look at our past as moulding or contributing to our present. So those that pathetically dwell on this "punishment" issue need to move on too and recognise the value, the service, the skills, the achievements the school and its teachers brought to many impecunious Catholic families in north Liverpool over several generations."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Yes, I've no doubt that the horrors of my own education by the Christian Brothers contributed to making me a more resilient person. But they also contributed a bit of possibly too unhealthy mistrust of people, a slightly bewildered sense of betrayal by my parents and a personal scepticism about the Catholic Church's contribution to the world.
A former pupil who attended The Mount and then St Mary's College from 1979 to 1990 is currently in the process of making a complaint to the police about physical abuse at Saint Mary's College in that period. Strapping, including the use of Scottish tawses, punching, throwing and slapping are among the forms of assault on children which he remembers. He has mentioned one particular Christian Brother at The Mount who resorted to taking pupils to a basement for beatings as the crying was bothering other members of staff and disturbing lessons.
Clare McDonald at Sefton CID has asked that anyone who wishes to speak informally and confidentially about what they saw or experienced to contact her on 0151 709 6010
And yet... and yet... St Mary's College is undoubtedly a successful school which has educated a formidably impressive list of ex-pupils. Not just the present Archbishop of Westminster, but Lord John Birt, Director-General of the BBC, the diplomat Sir Ivor Roberts, the poet Roger McGough... the list goes on and on.
So can't we moaners just 'get over it'? One former pupil who thinks that we should is outraged by the complaints made by what he calls "a small group of vociferous, angry and apparently traumatised Old Boys/Girls" who are apparently planning to record the history of the school.
"I was strapped at St. Mary's relentlessly in the first year by brothers and lay staff alike but learned my lesson," he writes. "We have to move on in life and look at our past as moulding or contributing to our present. So those that pathetically dwell on this "punishment" issue need to move on too and recognise the value, the service, the skills, the achievements the school and its teachers brought to many impecunious Catholic families in north Liverpool over several generations."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:St_Mary%27s_College%2C_Crosby
Yes, I've no doubt that the horrors of my own education by the Christian Brothers contributed to making me a more resilient person. But they also contributed a bit of possibly too unhealthy mistrust of people, a slightly bewildered sense of betrayal by my parents and a personal scepticism about the Catholic Church's contribution to the world.
A former pupil who attended The Mount and then St Mary's College from 1979 to 1990 is currently in the process of making a complaint to the police about physical abuse at Saint Mary's College in that period. Strapping, including the use of Scottish tawses, punching, throwing and slapping are among the forms of assault on children which he remembers. He has mentioned one particular Christian Brother at The Mount who resorted to taking pupils to a basement for beatings as the crying was bothering other members of staff and disturbing lessons.
Clare McDonald at Sefton CID has asked that anyone who wishes to speak informally and confidentially about what they saw or experienced to contact her on 0151 709 6010
"can't we moaners just 'get over it'? One former pupil who thinks that we should is outraged by the complaints made by what he calls "a small group of vociferous, angry and apparently traumatised Old Boys/Girls" who are apparently planning to record the history of the school.
ReplyDelete"I was strapped at St. Mary's relentlessly in the first year by brothers and lay staff alike but learned my lesson," he writes. "We have to move on in life and look at our past as moulding or contributing to our present. So those that pathetically dwell on this "punishment" issue need to move on too and recognise the value, the service, the skills, the achievements the school and its teachers brought to many impecunious Catholic families in north Liverpool'
I fear for the children of the author of this callous piece of nonsense. How he can he possibly believe that extreme physical violence towards children is 'character building'? My recollection of those who suffered these penal regimes is that they were
mentally damaged for the entirety of their lives. I can only assume that the author has such low self esteem that he felt he deserved to be tortured in this way
interesting that the chap who was strapped in his 'first' year, got over it. My first year was when i was 7 years old, i was still 'getting it' at 16 years old - 9 years of torture - no wonder i cant remember most of my school life. They say your school life and younger years are the best of your life. These Christian Brothers stole mine. May god not forgive them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this piece Michael. I am a survivor of “Christian" Brother Charles B. Irwin’s abuse in Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, USA. It took me thirty-seven years to be able to write about what happened to us back in 1964-65 at BC. The damage that man did to innumerable young men over the years can never be accurately quantified. As you can see on the www.bergencatholicabuse.com website, I was not alone in being damaged by Irwin. He, and the culture that enabled him, certainly killed my faith in Catholicism and left me estranged from my father for the remainder of his life. Some of the BC alumni reports of their abuse at his hands and at the hands of others in the school are the stuff nightmares are made of.
ReplyDeleteI attended St. Mary’s College Crosby, Liverpool, from 1964 to 1971, so I think that gives me the right to comment on this subject.
ReplyDeleteI genuinely believe that those former pupils who accuse either the Brothers, or the lay teachers, of sexual abuse are talking absolute tosh.
Yes, there were regular punishments administered by both sets of male teachers. (Female teachers would send miscreants to one of the male teachers or Brothers for the strap).
But in all my time at St. Mary’s, I never saw, or heard of, or experienced, sexual abuse as I understand the term.
The strap was used freely. But this form of corporal punishment must be viewed in the context of the time. Corporal punishment was part of society; it happened. My own father did not hesitate to administer a sound thrashing at home if I misbehaved.
Such behaviour would not be allowed, or tolerated, today; in the 1960’s it was the norm.
In an ideal world it would NOT have happened; it would not be necessary. But I repeat, in the 1960’s it was the norm.
200 years earlier slavery was the norm. 100 years earlier child Labour in mines and factories were the norm. By our standards these things were / are dreadful, but they were the norm at the time.
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” (L. P. Hartley).
So I endorse the comment made by another poster who stated that there is no point in moaning about what happened in the past, and that we should move on in life.
I can't move on. Ruined my life. Now in my 60s and still remember the beatings. Also the smell one particular brother on the trip to lourdes when I was 11.
DeleteI was at St Mary's college 1990-1997 and thankfully experienced no abuse, physical or verbal, from the teachers at least. Class jokers were reprimanded with verbal warnings, then detention. Almost all the staff were lay persons by this point.
ReplyDeletePlease email your details or attend a local police station to make a statement. It takes about half an hour.
ReplyDelete