Ah yes, the good old pebble grain leather ammunition boot made over into a thing of beauty and a joy to behold on the parade square. We were issued 2 pairs, one being kept for the field and the other reserved for garrison wear. We would take these to the cobbler who would smooth off the pebble grain, insert a toe cap inside the boot and install a double sole and triple heel with a steel horseshoe on the heel and a metal toe plate-all to go 'clicketty-click" on the parade square. I think those boots must have weighed at least 5 lbs each. And then there were the trouser weights made of bullets in a shoestring which you used to blouse your trousers over the puttees so that everything looked as spiffy as could be.
I was commissioned in the old "brownshoe Army" where officers wore brown shoes and boots, but for some reason I kept the old black clunkers. Then we all got into CF green and black footwear was for everyone. I was glad that I hung onto the old boots because they were the envy of the newbie "greenies". I even wore them, and my old brown Army forage cap, on my retirement parade 32 yrs after I was issued with them.
I was commissioned in the old "brownshoe Army" where officers wore brown shoes and boots, but for some reason I kept the old black clunkers. Then we all got into CF green and black footwear was for everyone. I was glad that I hung onto the old boots because they were the envy of the newbie "greenies". I even wore them, and my old brown Army forage cap, on my retirement parade 32 yrs after I was issued with them.
