Military boots, then and now

 

I'm sure the modern canvas or suede-style military boot is a lot more comfortable than its older leather counterpart - it certainly looks to be easier on the feet, anyway.  Nevertheless, I'm sure many readers share my memories of the older variety . . . and how hard we had to work on them.

South African combat boots were covered in a knobbly finish - I don't know a better way to describe them.  To get the toes and heels shining like that, we first had to iron our new boots through a damp cloth to get rid of the knobbles.  It took a long time, and one had to be careful not to burn them, because that would never take a shine.  Once they were smooth, the long, arduous process of spit-shining them began.  It would take at least half-a-dozen sessions to get them shining as they were required to be, probably taking fifteen to twenty minutes each time.  Some swore by setting fire to the polish in the tin, so they could smear it on while liquid;  others applied a thick layer to the boot and set fire to it there;  still others (including yours truly) preferred to do it all by hand and by spit, for fear of the flames ruining the finish.

Equipment varied.  Apart from the iron to smooth out the leather, one needed a polishing cloth (a yellow duster worked fine).  Many of us (including yours truly) took an old pair of socks, rolled them into a tight ball, and covered them with several layers of women's nylon stockings, to help with the polishing process.  After the spit-shine was complete, the nylon ball would help keep the surface shining and clean.  It was quite funny to see a group of new recruits visiting the local store and demanding one pair of nylons apiece - "Never mind the size, just nylons!".  Some of the salesladies must have wondered . . .

Once the boots were at parade-ground standard, one had to be extraordinarily careful not to scratch or scuff them.  Mean-minded NCO's who were annoyed at you, for whatever reason, might tread heavily on them and spin the soles of their boots around on them, not only ruining the finish but also scarring the leather - and that meant a new pair of boots, at your expense, because you could never polish out that sort of damage.  If you went on operations, you didn't dare wear your highly polished boots, because they'd never recover from that wear and tear.  Most of us glumly paid out of our own pockets to buy a pair of "parade boots", and kept them as pristine as possible.  Unfortunately, if you were ordered to parade at short notice, you didn't always have time to swap boots, which led to unfortunate consequences.

In our early uniformed days in particular, our boots could get scuffed and marred simply by the training routine through which we suffered.  Not marching in proper step?  "You!  Troop!  See that bush up the hill there?  Go and get me a leaf from it!"

Puff, puff, pant, pant . . . "Here's your leaf, Sergeant."

"Wrong leaf!  Go back and get the right one!"

Ah, yes . . . seeing that meme brought back all sorts of unpleasant memories!  If you never had to go through that ritual, there are videos on YouTube showing how it's done.

Peter