Under The Lash

The Wooden Horse

 

An illustration from 'Under The Lash', a book about corporal punishment in the UK armed forces in years gone by. This punishment device was called 'The Wooden Horse', but effectively was a narrow or pointed board on which the offender was compelled to sit for long periods. It was not only painful, but ultimately could be medically damaging, so don't try it at home chaps. The idea has now become part of the vocabulary of S&M and is documented extensively here at mitchmen through the series called 'Riding The Wedge'. Contributions include various artists interpretations of the ordeal and some real life attempts to recreate it (sanely). Click on the link or the label at the foot of the post to see them all.

The author of  'Under the Lash' was Basil Clavering, the creator behind the famed Royale and Hussar Studios in the 1950s and 60s. He was assisted (improbably) by another luminary of that era, John Barrington, who helped to edit the book for publication. The book describes a range of military punishments in excruciating detail, and there are a number of illustrations like that above. Clavering actually recreated some of these arcane practices in his storyettes which are still treasured for their spanking and CP content. There's an illustrated review of the book and its Royale legacy at the Royale blog.

 

See Under the Lash reviewed at the mitchmen Royale Studio blog