Moustaches

[maddycook]

I have read in the Forum that soldiers in the regular army during the 2nd Boer War were required to wear a moustache. Is this true in all cases. I ask this because I have a photo of my Grandfather in Royal Artillery uniform taken in Sth. Africa about 1899. He does not wear a moustache. Would I be correct to assume he was a volunteer? I hope some one can help.I would be so grateful.
Maddy

[zerostate]

Hi Maddy,

For some reason I can't remember exactly where I have seen the regulation on facial hair (it might be the Queen's Regulations for the Army 1899, but I can't seem to find it in there now).

IIRC it the wording was along the lines of: ...must be clean shaven; the moustache will...

I can't remember what the moustache will actually do but, as I said, if I recall correctly, the way it was written it could well be interpreted either as the moustache being compulsory, or there being two options: completely clean shaven; or a moustache. I'm not sure which it was.

I don't suppose you can remember the thread you saw it in?

I'll look some more and see if I can find it again.

Chris

[maddycook]

Hello Chris,Thanks for your interest.
The mention of "moustaches" was in a post by Tony Barton in the "uniforms" section on 10.9.2009.
Maddy

[zerostate]

Hi Maddy,

Having checked, I still can't find the regulation. I did turn up that moustaches were in fact compulsary even after the Victorian period for a while (so from what I can recall of the regs, the soldier would have to be clean shaven apart from the top lip).

I will continue to search for the regulation, to see if any exceptions were permitted.

Chris

[Tony Barton]

I'm also not sure of the precise Regulation I got that from , but there's little doubt that Regular soldiers were required to wear a moustache up to about 1916 , and the BEF in 1914 all wore them . The mass enlistment of non-regular volunteers in the Great War knocked it on the head , since amongst younger men they had become unfashionable anyway by then .
Bandsmen , and the Drums and Bugles were always given the option . Some brass instruments can be difficult to play with a moustache for some people , and the enlistment of boys in the Drums and Bugles of course meant that many of them couldn't produce one anyway.
Doubtless there was some latitude in some Regiments, according to the whims of the Colonel.

The Army had permitted moustaches in the Crimea (which quickly turned into full beards whilst on that campaign) and when they came home they were permitted to keep them , so long as the chin and throat were shaven.
Whiskers went out by 1880 , but the moustaches stayed ,and they became universal , then Regulation , but at which precise point I am not certain.
You would be hard put to find a pic of a Regular without one between , say ,1880 and 1915 .

[maddycook]

Hello Tony,
Many thanks for you comments.
I was wonderingif you would be prepared to look at my photos and tell me what you think. Could I email them to you? Would it make any difference to my researches if my Grandfather was a volunteer rather than a regular.The soldier I am researching is William Taylor who I have described in my Ist post on this forum.
All I know for certain is that in 1905 he is described on my father`s birth. cert as "Sergeant, Royal Artillery".
My grandmother was 43 in 1905 so I am guessing that Wm was a similar age.
Maddy

[ED, in Los Angeles]

I have seen lot's of pictures of late 19th and early 20th century British soldiers without moustaches. Though not many. Unless someone can actually produce a regulation that says you MUST where a moustache, I think it was at the discretion of the individual soldier to wear one or not. The length and size of the moustache was probably regulated, but not the mandatory growing of one.
The simple fact is, probably, that since facial hair was so popular at this time, regulations allowed the facial hair. Lots of early victorian illustrations and photos are of bearded soldiers. Head hair was longer in the early photos also. Like bell bottom pants, 'Beatle Boots' with collarless jackets and the 'hoodie' of today, it was a response to fashion. I think 'hoodies are called 'anaracks' in England. As sure as the tobacco pipe gave way to cigaretts, fashion had changed too. No Moslem would be without facial hair and in the less developed Moslem contries, the hairyer the better. It is in response to fashion, (but also a religious dictate too).
American soldiers had longer hair during the WWII through the Viet-Nam wars. Today it is really short but 20 years ago, it was a shaved head in the U.S. armed forces for many. Hair is making a come back in America, and it is reflected in the armed forces.
Now if only I could find my 1970's platform Disco boots I would feel fashionably complete.

[zerostate]

Well, I found the actual regulation - it was not ambiguous at all as I at first suggested - that would be due to my faulty memory.

From The Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Army 1899:

"660. The following directions are to be observed by all ranks. The hair of the head is to be kept short. The upper lip is not to be shaved, and the chin and under-lip are to be shaved. Whiskers, if worn, are to be of moderate length. On active service, at the discretion of the general officer commanding, beards may be worn."

There you have it! At least from 1899 (but I am sure well before as well) it was compulsory to wear a moustace - well, actually, to not shave the upper lip... There is a subtle difference, and allows for those unable to grow a moustache.

According to the claims in this Daily Mail article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-486942/How-moustache-won-empire.html) they came into regulation in the 1860s, and were not abolished until maybe as late as 1916 (with the onset of conscription).

Those soldiers seen in pictures without moustaches... Can they be explained away as volunteers? Maybe young soldiers unable to grow a moustache? If not, I'm interested to know - are any of them on campagin, but not second Boer War? I ask because I'd be interested in exceptions made in the field etc. I'm always interested when the regulations get broken

Chris

[Tony Barton]

Thanks for finding that , Chris , since it certainly clarifies the official line.
I don't have any books of Regulations , and I rather hoped someone would come up with the correct reference.
Like you , I find the exceptions interesting ... but so far I am looking forward to seeing some , which are clearly Regulars and not any kind of part-timers such as Volunteers.
As I said earler , by the Crimea and after the Army went distinctly hairy, a complete turnabout from the pre-Crimean situation , where large whiskers were permitted but NO moustaches, save in certain clearly defined cases such as Hussars.
My limited researches suggest that although not actually compulsory , moustaches ( and the whiskers ) became pretty universal by the 1870s, and virtually obligatory by the 1880s, especially since by then the hair was much shorter and side whiskers went out of fashion.

The apogee of the British military moustache is probably during the Egyptian campain of 81-82, when they are huge.
They were merely following the European norm , of course.

Maddy , if you would like to send me the pic, if you don't have the facility to post it here yourself , I can post it in this thread for you.
There are wiser heads than mine here , who can tell you more about it, if they can see it.
Send me a private message and I'll give you my email details.

[maddycook]

Tony and Chris
Sincere thanks for all your work on this subject. It is really important to me because I think I need to know whether my grandfather was a regular or a volunteer.
I would love to send the photos to you Chris, by Email.... the trouble is I do notknow how to send you a Private Message!
Maddy

[Tony Barton]

Here's Maddy's pics , for all to contemplate and come up with any suggestions :

[zerostate]

Hi Maddy,

In the first one he might be too young to grow a moustache, the second and third... well.

He certainly doesn't look like a volunteer to me (in that to me it looks like a pukka RA uniform, but I'm not an expert), so the mystery is on.

You mentioned in your email to me that the headwear might be datable - I can't tell for sure whether it's a glengarry or a forage cap. If it is a forage cap, it dates the picture to the 1890s or early 20th century. It looks to me more like a forage cap, but as I say, I can't be sure. Over to the uniform experts...

I suppose the big questions are, when for sure did moustaches become compulsory? Were there any exceptions allowed - for instance in Army Orders or specific corps regulations (like I suspect existed for pioneers)?

EDIT - on the first of these - I have just found out that in the 1868 regs, no 358, moustaches were to be worn, so it is likely that this was the case throughout the period. Doesn't help solve the mystery though

Chris

[Tony Barton]

As I hinted to Maddy when she sent me the pics, I don't think we shall ever get to the bottom of the moustache question.
He looks pretty Regular to me , and his service overseas tends to reinforce that.

First pic he looks aged about 18-20 : regular RA uniform. Perhaps 1880-5 ?
Second shows FShelmet in S.Africa, but blues rather than khakis.
Third is pretty certainly the FS cap : there is a hint of buttons on the front if you enlarge the very fuzzy image.Which would put it between @1895 and about 1906 when khaki became normal wear.
It's odd that the last pic shows no hint of chevrons , since he's recorded as a Sergeant in 1905 .If he was a Sergeant by then , he would presumably have spent some years as a Corporal or Bombardier.

Other ideas gratefully received.

[Madminute]

Hi,
At the risk of sounding a complete duffer, could the chap in the picture have been in the Royal Marine Artillery?
Tim

[zerostate]

Having zoomed in on the scans that Maddy sent me...

In the first in pic the belt buckle looks a little like an RA grenade, but of course, the resolution is not there to be sure what it is. In the second, the clasp is completely different, and does look like an RM one (the centre is pretty unfocussed, but the spacing of the motto around the edge seems to match up). Of course, marines doesn't match up with other information Maddy has!

Perhaps the pics need to go in the uniform sub-forum to attract the uniform experts?

Chris