![]() It is also still extremely common for British soldiers in Afghanistan to wear beards, as facial hair is still associated with power and authority in many Islamic regions. While no longer in force today, there are still regulations governing moustaches and, if worn, they can grow no further than the upper lip. The order to abolish the moustache requirement was signed on Octoby General Sir Nevil Macready, who himself hated moustaches and was glad to finally get to shave his off. This was largely because such a superficial requirement was getting ignored in the trenches of WWI, especially as they could sometimes get in the way of a good gas mask seal. In 1916, the regulation was dropped and troops were allowed to be clean-shaven again. By the 1860s, moustaches were finally compulsory for all the Armed Forces and they became as much an emblem for the Armed Forces as the Army uniform. ![]() While not in the rules for everyone else yet, they were still widely taken up across the Armed Forces and during the Crimean War there were a wide variety of permissible (and over the top) styles. However, in 1854, after significant campaigning, moustaches became compulsory for the troops of the East India Company's Bombay Army. It wasn't all plain sailing for the moustache though back home British citizens were looking on it as a sign of their boys 'going native' and it was nearly stamped out completely. Beard and moustache growth was rampant, especially in India where bare faces were scorned as being juvenile and un-manly, as well as in Arab countries where moustaches and beards were likewise associated with power. Initially adopted at the tail end of the 1700s from the French, who also required their soldiers to have facial hair which varied depending on the type of soldier (sappers, infantry, etc.), this follicular fashion statement was all about virility and aggression. Interestingly, it is during the imperial history of Britain that this seemingly odd uniform requirement emerged. If a soldier were to do this, he faced disciplinary action by his commanding officer which could include imprisonment, an especially unsavory prospect in the Victorian era. The chin and the under lip will be shaved, but not the upper lip…Īlthough the act of shaving one's upper lip was trivial in itself, it was considered a breach of discipline. Today I found out that uniform regulation in the British Army between the years 18 stipulated that every soldier should have a moustache.Ĭommand No.
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