The Loos

The Loss, lavatories, toilets... were next to the washrooms.

Theses were particularly grim. They had dark stone (concrete?) floors. I remember them as being very cold. The windows were kept open and there was often a dripping sound.

The Loos had two urinals and opposite these three seat cubicles. These cubicles had gaps at the top and the bottom of the doors.

The urinals themselves were often very unclean. i do not remember any one cleaning them and with 60 boys using them this meant that they were often filthy, especially round the side and underneath, on the walls.

The seat loo cubicles were very upleasant. They were bitter cold - a most unattractive place. The boys also had an unpleasant attitude towards them. For example if it was noticed that a boy had been on the loo for some time, it would be presumed he was "wanking" and then another boy would go and try to bust him so doing by getting a chair to stand on so as to look over the top of the cubicle. Loos were considered a favoured place for masturbation as the boy could not be so easily seen doing this as in the dorm. Also the back of the loo casement (or inside it) was often used to hide pornographic magazines.

I hated using the loo cubicles and would try to find other places in the school to carry out this most essential of activities where one can feel so vulnerable.