Ammunition boot

Ammunition boots are a form of military footwear. They were the standard combat boot for the British Army and other forces around the British Empire and Commonwealth from at least the mid-1860s until their replacement a century later in the 1960s with the rubber-soled Boots DMS (for 'Direct Moulded Sole'). They replaced the earlier ankle boots that had been in service since the early 1800s. Ammunition boots (now known as Boots, Ankle, General Service) remain in use today by British and Commonwealth armies for ceremonial public duties, most notably by the British Army's Household Division, who provide the King's Guard. The term "Ammunition boots" is a generic term for these heavy, studded ankle boots, which were produced in a variety of patterns. The name supposedly comes from the boots' being historically procured by the Master Gunner and the Munitions Board at Woolwich (the Regiment of Artillery's headquarters) rather than Horse Guards (the headquarters of the British Army), and being of 'ammunition quality'. Ammunition boots were unlined ankle-boots, usually with leather laces, iron heel-plate and toe-plate, and an iron-studded leather sole. The vamp (front) and quarters (sides) were often made of a contrasting type of leather than the toe case (toe cap) and counter (heel cap), one made of "pebble-grained" (dimpled) leather and the other of smooth leather. They were designed to be hard-wearing and long-lasting rather than comfortable. The hobnail-studded soles made a loud crunching sound when the wearer was marching, earning them the nickname "crunchies". Prior to the First World War, British soldiers were issued two pairs of boots, both made with a brown finish that had to be polished black. There was a brief period (1908 to 1914) where they were issued one pair that was hand-polished in black for parade and drill, and one pair finished in raw brown hide for fatigue duty and field service. World War I forced the reversion to brown leather boots for Other Ranks, and a simplification of the patterns, but polished black boots were still worn by some individuals or units out of habit.