Complete, now all 3 services of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and now the Army can grow beards…officially.
I’m 30 years out of date as an old and bold having spent 23 years in the military and leaving way back in 1994…a different century.
However, although traditionally the Navy were allowed to sport a beard, they were the only service to do so, apart from an Army unit…the Pioneer Corps.
I’m aware of long hair and beards for religious reasons too, but that was rare due to the number of individuals in the Army of that religion.
The only contradiction to that was if someone in the RAF or Army had a medical problem such as a skin ailment they could grow a beard, or rather be excused shaving as the term went back then.
Of course in the SF world we would grow a beard while training or on operations in a jungle theatre…and sometimes in the desert due to a lack of water to manage our health and hygiene on a daily basis. We would also grow our hair and perhaps sport a beard for covert reasons of fitting in with the local population way back then too.
However, when beards are now officially allowed purely in order to aid recruitment, then I firmly believe that individuals are being attracted to the military for the wrong reasons.
In my lifetime, and I was born just 9 years after the Second World War, we have never been so close to a Third World War.
Fragility of failed diplomacy and piss poor politics for way too long now, could well become the straw that breaks the camel’s back today or tomorrow.
Unlike the military build up on the Ukraine border by Russian military, that gave a good indication to even a blind man that they would attack Ukraine sometime very soon…I believe that WW3 could begin in a click of a finger and thumb…but who’s finger and thumb?
With that, there will be some nasty nuclear, chemical and/or biological “stuff” flying around. It will be on your doorstep before you know it.
Those military individuals sporting finely trimmed beards are NOT going to have time to shave before sporting something else close to their facial skin…a respirator that will only work with a complete seal around the face.
Even in a domestic riot back home, if you have to shave prior to putting on your respirator and facing your own CS type gas for example, that gas will be way more toxic getting into your freshly shaven open pores.
The UK Armed Forces and especially the Army have always had the finest traditions of professionalism…I’ve heard that time and time again from other countries’ military personnel over the decades, and especially the last 20 odd years on the ground while observing the “corporate wars”.
In my view today, the UK Army chiefs are slacking…and for all the wrong reasons. I’d rather see a small highly professional Army than a watered down one where bending to potential recruit requirements come before potential recruits having to bend to military ones.
For way too long now, the upper management has wore their political hats instead of their military ones, which is why we lost two major conflicts…Afghanistan and Iraq.
Not if, but when the Third World War kicks off, it will be way too late for those very senior ranks to find their military hats, then shave, then don their respirator.
Bob Shepherd 