Oct 18, 2007 13:05
Army and Navy folks, I have a question for you:
Do any of you have solid data on what the regulations about shaving were in the respective services? I know officers at least were expected to be clean shaven.... What about the ranks and the hands? What about side-whiskers?
Much obliged....
regulations,
question
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Beard...
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*makes point*
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For some reason, I suddenly got the mental image of beards growing on hands...
If the hands had beards growing on the palms, they had to shave daily (at least, in the navy, because otherwise the rope would snag and rip the hair out.) If they had beards on the BACKS of their hands, though, they could keep them, as it was viewed as a natural mitten, especially when rubbed with slush. Likewise with feet. Hair growing on the soles of the feet had to be shaved, but hair on the top of the feet, as with hobbits, was allowed.
Side-whiskers were not allowed to grow their own little beards. Scalps of heads were, however, highly encouraged to grow beards which were sometimes plaited into long pigtails.
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(you so silly!)
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(This is starting to resemble the conversation I had with the Gilly about whether Stephen canonically has chest hair.... The Great Unanswered Questions of the Aubreyad.)
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(Random thought: I wonder what age they made them *start* shaving at, considering the mids & ship's boys, or if it was taken on a case-by-case basis....)
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Good point.
(Actually, imagine trying to shave full stop on a ship...was it Cochrane who had to basically stick his head out the skylight thingy *flails for nautical word* to shave because the ceiling was so low? I'm surprised people didn't slice off their own ears all the time.... *is capable of cutting up his own face with a safety razor, so would surely be dead on a ship*)
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