ARMS AND MOUSTACHES

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 7

ARMS AND MOUSTACHES

MILITARY ETIQUETTE. OF HIRSUTE APPENDAGES. In these days of tho "dean shave," the military etiquette of the moustache has been a source of some anxiety to younger members of tho New Zealand Defence Forces.- They may find sorao comfort, and, perhaps, some entertainment, from the following pleasant littlo dissertation on tho subject by tho military correspondent of tho Manchester "Guardian":— Tlio lung's .Regulations, with an authority which must not be questioned, order the life of our army in all parts ol tlio world. There' is one of them at least the utility of which might be questioned, an<l about which there have bean, complaints as to its evasion from time immemorial. This regulation reads:—"The hair of the head is to be kept short. The upper lip is not to be shaved, and the chili and under lip are to be shaved. Whiskers, if worn, are to bo of moderate length." Tho moustacho hos always been considered a part of the soldier's equipment, and the majority of soldiers sedulously cultivate certain types. Thero i 3 the moustache which aflects to imitate that cultivated by the German Emperor; at leaiSt it is named after him by the soldliars. The long rnd bushy moustache is named after Lord Kitchener or Lord Wolseley. Then there are the nicely trimmed "Bobs," and the loosely flowing "BuHer." lint the more general and distinctly'military typo is tho closely trimmed moustache. '

There aire, however, many young officers who prefer to bo clean shaven, and they dedlaro that they cannot cultivate a moustache, and in that way escape a count-martial for a breach of the regulations. It is,now stated that the military authorities are. inclined to Telox tho order and make the wearing of a moustache optional. Tho object.of the regulation a3 it stands is to ensure tidiness and neatness. Long Honing hair does not become a soldier, and would b6 inconsistent with modern uniform. But the regulation forbidding. the sharing of the upper lip does not appear to bo based upon a utilitarian foundation. ' Tho rule is designed to secure uniformity in appearance, 'and was pediaps necessary when mea joined the service for a much longer period than maw. A largo number of our young soldiers to-day have not begun to use tho razor.

The grievance is a long-standing one. Seventy-six years ago the following memorandum was issued by tho AdjutantGeneral of that time:—

"Horse Guards, May 1, 1837. — I The General Commandiing-in-Chief has been again desired by the King to call the attention of general officers and commanding officers of regiments to tho repeated orders that have been issued by his Majesty's command, against wearing long hair and whiskers. Lord Hill therefore will bo under thS disagreeable necessity of reporting to his Majesty any officer who shall either dieviato from these orders in his own person or suffer the officers, non-cominifision-ed officers, or. soldiers serving u.ndtr him to appear'otherwise in this respect,than in striot accordance to-his Majesty's lations.—(Signed) J. Macdonalu, AdjutaiitGeneral."

There; are on Tecord some lines said to have been written by an officer of the Royal Artillery (Captain Geor.ge Luke), a few hours before his death, which have reference to tho "hair and whiskers" order of 1837

Tlho order says: "Thou shalt n-ot wear The whisker long, nor jot thy hair." Though' freely and willingly Wo bend* To each your Majesty's command, From blasted hopes my locks of snow' Have long since ceased, my Sire, to grow, And if tihere'd be a boon you'd givo IV,r tho short time I'vo left to live; This is my fondest, earnest prayer. Give mo back, cih Sire, my hair! In a copy of the "Broad Arrow" for tho year 1837 a correspondent writes: — . "Those lines were never corrected, for the ink lmd' scarcely dried ere tho hand that penned them was stiffened by death. Captain Luke's dexter and sinister checks wero' redolent with." manly appendages, and'ou his return from the West Indies (shortly beforo his promotion to eooond capta©) a certain: General considered them' exceedingly outre, and requested Lieutenant Luke's colonel to speak to him on the subject. Luke instantly left tho parado to obey the' General's dictates, and appeared again in & few minutes cleared cr£ every appearance of whiskeir, to the horror of lus worthy chiefs. As Captain Luke had been deeply bronzed by a tropical sim the denuded clieeJcs presented a rather grotesquo feature, each side of hi<3 mahogany-coloured face plainly marking tho milky way to even distant beholders. The gallant General has never been known since to interfere with the dimensions of officers' whiskers, notwithstanding the publication of the order .on that head issued by the Horse Guards."

Tho order as to moustaches lias' a special effect among- Territorial officers. Quite ft iaTjre number of them a.re clean shaven until a month or eo before the date of the annual training; then tho razor is laid asido mid signs of a moustache begin to appear, mntfr to the surprise of their commercial friends. When the time for the training arrives .they are well furnished with the military moustache. The day following the training the moustache disappears again. Territorial officers do not regard it as an essential part of their equipment wlien doing their military work at (home. In the navy no such custom exists. The officers may wear whiskers and a. moustache, and many of them do; the bluejackets are invariably clean-shaven.