How the moustache won an empire 11th October 2007 The British Empire was the greatest and most diverse the world has ever seen. At its height, it was seven times the size of the Roman Empire, its Navy ruled the oceans and a quarter of the earth was painted red on the map. Military victories, trade expansion and a talent for bureaucracy all played a part - but so did the humble moustache. As Britain's influence stretched across the globe, the moustaches worn by our fighting men and leaders flourished, but by the time of the postcolonial humiliation of Suez in 1956, the prime minister of the day, Anthony Eden, sported an apologetic, hardly noticeable growth. The rise and fall of the Empire was reflected in the waxing - literally, sometimes - and waning of the hair on generations of stiff upper lips. The impetus for the fashion came from two sources. It began during the Napoleonic Wars of 1799 to 1815 when some British officers began to emulate fighting Frenchmen, whose moustaches were said to be "appurtenances of terror". At about the same time, Britons, who by then formed the dominant caste in India, adopted the customs of the country, smoking hookahs, drinking a locally distilled spirit called arrack, wearing pyjamas and growing moustaches. By the 1830s this sort of behaviour was condemned as "going native" and the British were discouraged from adopting such ways. But some Indian habits remained - the British continued to eat curry, kedgeree and mulligatawny soup. And the moustache became imperative because it was seen as a potent symbol of virility. As one contemporary noted, Indians looked upon "the bare faces of the English with amazement and contempt", regarding as na-mard (unmanly) countenances emasculated by the razor. British soldiers, in particular, could not afford to appear less masculine and aggressive than their Indian comrades in the Army. They had to assert the supremacy of the imperial race. So began what became known as "the moustache movement". It scored an early victory in 1831 when the 16th Lancers hailed with delight an order permitting them to wear moustaches. But the battle for this war-like appendage was far from won. [SNIP] Full text - and some lovely photos - at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=486942&in_page_id=1770 ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India