British army ditches no-beard rule for enlisted men, officers amid recruitment drought

March 29 (UPI) -- Enlisted men and officers in the British Army were granted permission to grow beards and mustaches after a century-old ban was lifted with immediate effect Friday, although it may take a little while longer before any visible changes are seen.

The end for the last bastion of the clean-shaven face in the British armed services joins the Royal Air Force, which relaxed its ban five years ago and the Royal Navy where beards have been allowed for decades, came after a lengthy consultative review into the Army's rules on appearance.

Sikh, Muslim and Rastafarian soldiers are already allowed full beards provided they do not impede their performance or pose a health or safety risk.

"We have listened to our people and acted," said a spokesman.

However, freshly sprouted facial hair will be subject to strict regulations requiring it to be neat, and properly groomed. Once grown, beards must be kept "full" and no shorter than 3/32 of an inch and no longer than 1 inch and trimmed off at the cheeks and neck.

"Patchy or uneven growth" is not permitted nor are outlandish colors, signaling the army will not allow soldiers to exploit the policy for individual flights of self-expression.

The army also said there may be circumstances where the personnel are required to shave off their beards, under orders.

It is believed top military brass relented in the hope the change, which also required the approval of the king as head of the armed forces, will make the army a more appealing option amid a crisis of recruitment.

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, in an interview last year, said the beard ban was an absurd relic from the past.

"The armed forces get terribly pernickety about whether people have beards or not," Shapps said.

"Nowadays people have beards. So how is it we are still struggling with recruitment and then arbitrarily saying you can't join [if you grow a beard]. It is ridiculous.

"It is time to modernize."