Bullying at lunch

At house meals each year sat on a different table. However on the first year table one of the dorm monitors was also positioned. I think this must have been to "keep order".

Another opportunity to impose horrible doings on persons smaller and junior to that monitor was thus presented.

The nastiest of these bullies was Matt Pennington. To me at the time he was huge. He was perhaps six foot. I think I saw him inflict cruelty first hand more than any other.

One of his favourite tricks was to make the first years eat horrible things at the table.

I remember one lunch he took a glass of water (half-filled), then added mash potatoe and half a dispenser of white pepper and some other horrible things and mixed this all together. He then made one of the first years drink this.

I remember watching, horrified. The concoction seemed to me one which would force one to vomit straight away (I have always hated that school white pepper). I remember longing for the bell to ring for the end of lunch to end another torture session.