Boys will be bullies

I was a classmate of CJ Sansom at George Watson’s College and I too experienced the bullying he speaks of (“School bullies at Watson’s ‘drove’ novelist to suicide bid”, 7 May). It was awful. In my case, it continued into ‘bug-hut’, as we called the boarding houses, and was 24/7.

I should add, however, that I had, by pure chance, been speaking to a friend of similar age the evening before the article mentioned appeared in a Sunday newspaper. My friend was telling me how he was badly bullied at a completely different school and how he was routinely caned to “make him learn” at the same time as Sansom and I were at Watson’s. At Watson’s, I was given the belt daily, or so it seemed, to “teach me” maths. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

I should add that, when I moved to a different class after Sansom left school, the bullying stopped. It was a matter of the class that I was in and the boys who were the bullies. Many other boys at many other schools have commented on having the same experience.

I am concerned, however, that CJ Sansom is giving valuable ammunition to a Green MSP whose agenda is, no doubt, to have Watson’s (and all private schools) taken over by the state. That is why so much was made of the cost of the school’s fees in the Sunday paper.

Jealousy is a green-eyed monster and the left-wing agenda which caused Labour to try to take over Heriot’s in the Seventies is still busily at work, trying to take over our best schools.

Lest others try to jump on this bandwagon, I would suggest that they read Lord of the Flies. It is about pre-pubescent and pubescent boys who are little savages, whatever type of school they are at. Boys will be boys, as they say and, sometimes, believe it or not, girls of that age can be just as bad.

It is worthy of note, that despite my experience, my wife and I sent our children to Watson’s too.

ANDREW HN GRAY

Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh