From 1860 to 1916 The British Army Required Every Soldier To Have A Mustache

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Uniform regulation in the British Army between the years 1860 and 1916 stipulated that every soldier should have a moustache. Although the act of shaving one’s upper lip was trivial in itself, it was considered a breach of discipline.

If a soldier were to do this, he faced disciplinary action by his commanding officer which could include imprisonment, an especially unsavory prospect in the Victorian era.