Mr Beagle Sir, I salute your erudite and accurate narrative of what was both your, and my "formative days" ! I didn't attend "the towers" but certainly spent a happy 3 years strapping in those who did, and enjoying the off duty time, as they also did. People who dress to shock - pony tails, top knots, filigree or scaffold face, bones through the nose, the list goes on, have been there for years. The Teds in my father in laws days gave him some "cause for concern. I was taken aback at two fellow apprentices enjoying a dance to George Harrison's "My sweet lord" cheek to cheek in No2 Wing NAAFI bar in 1971. Bottom line, whatever the OPs impression of those he encountered, all might not have been what it seemed. I'm sure that some "blending in" is now considered acceptable, particularly after the brutal actions that led to the murder of Lee Rigby. Surely the criteria is their competence and ability in performing their duties, and not an impression they may leave in a passing jaw wag in a local bar.
Smudge
By the way, do you know where Mrs Smudge might acquire some cheesecloth shirts ???