I don't believe that I have seen any mention of the fact, stemming from the events 1970s I imagine, that the general (pun intended) use of ranks, especially in a non Service context including personal correspondence, should be avoided. This, in addition to major (pun intended) reductions in the numbers of people who had served in uniform, whether voluntarily or otherwise, has presumably contributing both to much less use of ranks on retirement, and the civilian population's lack of understanding, or probably lack of interest, in ranks.
None of my civilian friends either knows or is interested in what rank I hold, and this has often led to innocent fun, such as a when a general as a fellow-guest on a yacht running out of Lymington offered to teach me how to tie a clove hitch, something I knew how to do when I was about eight. The "lesson" and my wide-eyed innocence were sadly abruptly ended when the owner clicked what was going on and grassed me up!
Jack