LONG HAIR AND DIRTY BOOTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 242, 26 September 1914, Page 1 (Supplement)

LONG HAIR AND DIRTY BOOTS.

GENERAL OX BLEMISHES OF THE ETON OFFICERS CORPS. SOLDIERS NOT “NUTS.” i Long hair and dirty boots were the subjects of vigorous comments last July, by Major-General F. J. Davies when he inspected the Eton College Officers’ Training Corps in the presence of the headmaster, Dr. Lyttelton, and a large number of spectators. There were over 500 on parade, the battalion being commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel F. E. Robeson. The 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards drum and fife band were in attendance and played for the march past. After the inspection .Major-General Davies, who belonged to the corps thir-ty-four years ago, said the men stood well under arms, and the drill on the . whole was good. He noticed, however, a. good many dirty boots. He knew that | this largely depended on the house man | who cleaned the boots, but while some were beautifully clean, as a soldier’s boots should lie, others were very dirty and looked as if tliey had not been cleaned or a week. Every soldier ought to turn out clean and smart. Another thing he noticed was that there was a great deal too much hair about. Long hair might be all right for “nuts.” but it had nothing to do with English soldiers. It was unsoldierlike and un-English, and gave them more the appearance of a cross between, a civilian and a foreigner. It looked exceedingly bad to see a lot of hair standing . put under their forage caps.