R is for Rules

At the Liverpool Blue Coat School for orphans and fatherless children, where my mother was a student from 1937 to 1940, there were lots of rules. (See B is Blue Coat School)

Boys and girls were strictly segregated
Boys and girls were lined up - separately of course - by height, and marched into the dining hall or to the chapel
No talking during meals
No talking to, smiling at or waving to a brother (if you were a girl) or sister (if you were a boy)
On Sundays, when mothers were allowed to visit, no hugging goodbye
No leaving the school grounds unless as part of a formal outing

Discipline included gating (being kept in) or caning (being whacked with a cane). Even minor infractions met with discipline.