Last month it was reported that an officer in the Belfast Police was taking the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to an industrial tribunal over a matter of personal appearance. More specifically, the tribunal will consider the legality of a rule stipulating that officers cannot wear beards or moustaches. The PSNI argue that the rule is based on practical concerns for the safety of its members. In some circumstances, officers may need to wear respiratory protective equipment to avoid them accidentally inhaling dangerous substances. As has been argued in cases of the banning of facial hair in the modern military, facial hair can prevent masks, inhalators and respirators from...
Continue reading...
From 1860-1916 the British Army required every soldier to have a mustache Today I found out that uniform regulation in the British Army between the years 1860 and 1916 stipulated that every soldier should have a moustache. Command No. 1,695 of the King’s Regulations read: The hair of the head will be kept short. The chin and the under lip will be shaved, but not the upper lip… Although the act of shaving one’s upper lip was trivial in itself, it was considered a breach of discipline. 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. Interestingly, it is during the...
Continue reading...
A guide to words for moustaches As November begins, many a man’s thoughts turn to facial hair. Millions all over the world consign the razor blades to the bathroom cupboard and attempt to grow a moustache for a very good cause. But moustaches come in many varieties, so whether you are barely capable of bumfluff or have designs on the soup-strainer, there will be something for you. Let’s have a look at moustache names! A brief history of the word moustache The first recorded instance of the word moustache in English, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), is 1585, from a translation of a book (originally written in French) called Navigations, peregrinations and voyages, made...
Continue reading...
