In Northampton in the early-1940s, truanting was "playing waggy". I was interested to find a variant of the same when I was teaching in S London nearly 20 years later, where it was the clearly related "hopping the wag". When I moved to teach in & near Cambridge, it was always "skiving" or "on the skive".

"Kings" in Northampton for truce; "fanites" in 1940 Worthing.

(I got messed about a bit during the War, it will be gathered: 4 schools in 3 different towns, Worthing, London, Northampton[2] , & maybe 10-12 weeks of school time not at any school, in Bedford & Stony Stratford, between 8th & 9th birthdays [May 40 - May 41] ~~ hence all these different terms learnt at the time.)

~Michael~