Head Dorm Pig

I travelled up with a friend of mine, Giles, who was in the same house as that for which I was bound. He had come to the school two years before and had lots to tell me. Much of it was not reassuring. he told me of the widespread physical bullying and the commonplace practice of heavy swearing.

I learnt from him some of the terminology of the school. For example Dormitory Captains were called Dorm Pigs.

I was to be in the 'First Year' and it was the third year boys who were the Dorm Pigs. It became clear to me that this year was where the chief bullies came from.

An amusing story is that my friend, Giles, told me that the "Head Dorm Pig" was a really great guy and that this was the single bright spot ahead of me. I assumed that he meant the head dorm pig of my dorm (there were 3 dorm pigs for my 20 -boy dorm). In fact he had meant the "head dorm pig" of the (third) year (and of all the dormitory dwellers) - who was in the other 20-boy dorm.

That day, when I entered my dorm and saw that the head dorm pig was in his bed-space, I greeted him very warmly. he looked surprised. His name was Rich Lascard and he was, in fact, to be one of the nastiest bullies. But at that moment I saw some happiness / kindness in his face - because, so it seems, of my warm greeting. I can never remember him singling me out for bullying or indeed being unkind to me.