A friend on a course from Shrivenham said it had been approved from November, yet my Chief said it was from September. I’ve also heard rumour that it is only going for a board decision in around September and hasn’t yet been confirmed.
The rumour mill is a beautiful thing.
Good, I’ll be all over that!
Oh deep joy, more hipsters looking like they’re from the 1800’s.
I very much doubt that allowing beards will make the slightest difference to recruitment, in terms of lots joining.
It might remove one of the barriers in the CF though. No more I won’t/can’t go into uniform because I’ve got a beard and I’m not shaving it off.
IIRC it was only someone on the general staff during WW1 who didn’t like beards, issued the order to be clean shaven. I’ve found early pictures of my grandad’s unit in WW1, all 2 have tasches and 4 have beards.
I don’t go with the thought that beards makes for sloppiness. I’ve found at work over the years that how you appear, has no effect on your ability or willingness to do a job. I know blokes who’ve had beards for years, initially grew it to make them look older and now it’s part of who they are.
Mustaches were mandatory before 1916. You were forbidden to shave your upper lip.
Not absolutely mandatory, unless the two in the picture, which is spring 15, are a bit young.
I’m not sure of that. Somewhere, I’ve got a photo of my Grandfather and two friends taken in 1910 whilst serving as a Cpl in the 10th Royal Hussars. None of them had moustaches.
According to Wikipedia (not the jest source I admit) it was the regulation but it was widely ignored. Interestingly the reason that Moustaches became popular is that in India and the far-east they were a sign of wisdom and age, sounds very similar to the reasons that personnel have been allowed to grow beards recently.
According to the book I found it in, it was widely ignored and was only rescinded when they actually court martialled an officer for it.
Who, I believe, was an actor by profession and he successfully argued that he would find it hard to obtain work (post-army) as upon shaving it off, it would leave a lighter coloured patch on his top lip…
That matches what I can remember.
He’s not a real royal or a real soldier. So he can have a beard in his fancy dress costume.
Just wear a beard if it’s aggravating your skin.
you can Get a shaving chit in the Forces and as your not Forces just grow it, and keep it trimmed and neat. And if anyone has a problem just bang out the medical reasons.
Just read this thread…
So has the RAF allowed beards? Is there a time limit to allow someone to get from scruffy stubble to full hirsute Santa Claus?
Will this policy be scrutinised by Equality laws?
When are the Air Cadets being issued with CBRN Gas tight suits? Can the cadets fly in them or are they, like nylon socks, flammable and cannot be worn within 1/2 mile of an active Air Cadet Aircraft?
Are Cadets being sent to FUBs to learn how not to shave in Combat conditions?
And lastly… who really cares? As long as it’s smart! I’ve met many scruffy clean shaven people!
How do beards fit in with the whole gender issue?
Can women wear beards? Or men only?
The Equality Act would prohibit a policy which discriminates on grounds of gender. So, it should allow women to grow all the facial hair they like.
All I need to do now is find a female member of RAF Personnel who dearly wants to grow a beard and can’t and I can make my Employment law name! How difficult can it be?
I’ve met several female personnel with a decent tash
It’ll be on the same lines as the Navy I expect.
I have had a eureka moment. We can solve the equality issue!! False beards!! We can all wear them once every Wednesday and twice on Sunday! That would solve the problem!!
We could have the corporate logo stitched into them as well!
It would also allow our female counterparts to attend stonings without giving away their gender!
All I said to my wife was ‘this piece of halibut is good enough for Dawn’