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British Army boots Example

Article about: I acquired these and thought they were WW2 as I though they dated them on the ankle and was worn off. Dummy me did not notice the large date stamp on the leather sole. I likely overpaid for

  1. #1

    Default British Army boots Example

    I acquired these and thought they were WW2 as I though they dated them on the ankle and was worn off. Dummy me did not notice the large date stamp on the leather sole. I likely overpaid for post WW2 boots at $100 US.
    I was not able to find an accurate time frame when this style of boot was used. They appear to match the WW2 era. All thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
    John

    British Army boots ExampleBritish Army boots ExampleBritish Army boots ExampleBritish Army boots ExampleBritish Army boots Example

  2. #2

    Default

    Bump. Info please.
    John

  3. #3

    Default

    Im surprised no one has commneted on this post in almost a week.....and I would be curious as well...surely there are many of our English brothers that can give some insight on these boots.
    It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C

    One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C

    “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill

  4. #4
    ?

    Default

    Hello!
    I belive these types are commonly referred to as "ammo boots". After a quick search, I see many with same dates as yours online listed for about the price you paid. You may not have overpaid after all, being that these are (In general) harder to find in the US and can be extremely expensive to ship from overseas. They are worth what they are worth to you.
    Sorry if this wasn't much help as that's about all I know.
    I have three very similar Australian pairs dated between 1951-1954, so I too have been looking for information on them recently.

    Regards,
    Daniel

  5. #5

    Lightbulb

    My knowledge of WWII British 'ammo' boots is very scanty. All I do know is that they are surprisingly difficult to find at reasonable cost whereas 20 years or so ago it wasn't a problem (possibly re-enactors have snapped many of them up). As with many 'common' British WWII items they've suddenly become quite 'uncommon' and unlike with German militaria it can be hard to find solid research material.

  6. #6

    Default

    I remember this type of boot very well! I wore them as an army cadet - and also as a regular soldier. I was issued with DMS boots when I served, these being the variant with a rubber sole. I also had a pair of ammunition boots, but I cannot for the life of me remember if these were issued to me purely for when we did ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace in 1971 while the usual Guards regiment did a tour of ops in Northern Ireland. Rather wisely, the Queen spent her time elsewhere while we were guarding her stately pile and we only ever saw the lesser Royals! But back to the boots...

    Each boot should have 13 studs affixed to the sole. For the purposes of using them as 'best dress', the dimples were burned off the leather, this being achieved by heating up a spoon with a candle and running it over the leather until all was nice and smooth. Generous layers of 'Kiwi' polish was then applied with a warm spoon, and then good old 'spit & polish' was applied with a rag until the surface of the boot was like glass. Looking on fleabay, the usual asking price appears to be around £50.

    Cheers,
    Steve

  7. #7

    Default

    Ammo boots are still in use, I saw them being worn by the sailors that pulled the gun carriage that carried Queen Elizabeth's coffin during her funeral. These are probably made of smooth leather, as are the Guard's paradeboots.

    Ammo boots were also used by other armies (like Canada), and the ones I use for re-enactment are British-made, but the Canadian WW2 model (no toecap) for the Danish Civil Defence. These flooded the market about 10 years ago, but were quickly snapped up by re-enactors. I have another pair of unknown origin, possibly Belgian navy.

    They were still standard issue in the British army in the 1950's, and I think identical to the ones used in WW2.

  8. #8

    Default

    Thank you all for the information. Yes I think I overpaid but at least they are good condition. Saving grace.
    John

  9. #9

    Default

    Very nice pair you found John! They are still “war time” just not WWII. They are dated during the Korean War which British and Commonwealth nations served. I’ve been trying to find a good WWII pair for quite a while but they are very few and far between and pretty expensive when they do come up.

    The ammo boots we first issued in the later part of the 20s if I recall correctly, and were standard issue through the early 60s. The British ones were and are the same as they were from the beginning Capped toe, and plates on the toe and heel of the sole. Hobnails were added to the soles for field use. The commandos and some paras had rubber soled ammos in WWII and after. The Canadians had ammos without the capped toes, as already mentioned, and the Australians had brown ones with cleats instead of hobnails.

  10. #10

    Arrow

    Just for trivial interest, here's a pic of where millions of pairs of British 'ammo boots' were made - the Bata factory in East Tilbury, Essex. This is just one of a huge complex of buildings ( known as 'Bataville' ). Although the Bata company still exists, this site is no longer belongs to them ( I took the pic in 2011 ) and is used for warehousing.


    British Army boots Example

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