Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1886
Complete Left, 25th Aug, 1887
Complete Accepted, 25th Oct., 1887
53 Charing Cross, in the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A long, or knee boot, in two parts, to be utilised for mounted, parade, and stable
duties. The invention consists of:-
(1) The leg of the boot being separate, and detached, from the lower part or foot,
thus enabling the leg part to be dispensed with, when the boot is required for
dismounted duties.
(2) The top, or leg part, being shaped so as to fit over the lower, or foot part, of
the boot, and when in combination, for mounted duties, to resemble an ordinary
cavalry boot.
(3) An improved tongue, being so fitted to the lower part, that it may be placed
either before, or behind, the lacing, as may be required, (i.e.) before when intended
for stable use, or in combination with the leg, and the reverse, when required for
dismounted parades.
The boot is designed to save both in cost, and transport, by taking the place of at
least two pairs of the boots, at present in use in the mounted services.
DL: OKIL
Ortho 1000
ROBERT CHAS. BOWLEY.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Army Boots for the Mounted Services.
I ROBERT CHARLES BOWLEY, bootmaker, trading as Bowley & Company, at
53 Charing Cross, in the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention consists of an improved army boot for the mounted services, made
in two distinct parts which can be worn separately or in combination, and which is
designed to take the place of the three pairs of boots (at least) which the mounted
services of the British army are at present obliged to maintain in a good state of
repair and to carry viz:-
(1) A pair of Wellington boots, for wear with overalls on dismounted parade, or
when walking outside the barracks.
(2) A pair of long or Hessian boots for mounted work, and, (3) A pair of highlow
or Blucher boots which lace up in the front, for use on fatigue and stable duties.
These are costly to buy costly to keep in repair and cannot be carried by the soldier
on the march on his horse.
The lower part of my improved boot consists of an improved highlow or blucher
boot.
This boot is made like the ordinary blucher boot except for the following
improvement.
The continuation of the vamp which forms the tongue can be placed either outside
of the lacing or inside, instead of being fixed inside as in the ordinary blucher boot.
When worn with the overall the tongue can be placed outside the lacings which gives
the boot the appearance of a Wellington boot (fig. 2).
When the boot is wanted to wear on fatigue, or for stable duties the tongue can be
placed inside the lacing (fig. 3).
The improvement
effect by cutting the vamp and leg of the boot to the pattern
. of (fig. 1), and then punching a small hole at the bottom of the tongue upon each
side (A fig. 1). The vamp should be cut out of a blocked front in order to obtain
the shape over the instep.
In closing the uppers the tongue must not be partly fastened to the leg as in the
ordinary blucher, but left entirely free down to the punched hole, this enables it to be
freely passed inside or outside of the lacing flaps as required.
The upper part of my improved boot, consists of the leg or legging (fig. 5) which
is shaped so as to drop over the lower part of the boot, then with the addition of the
spur, spur chain and spur strap the boot closely resembles an ordinary Hessian or
cavalry boot (fig. 7).
This leg or legging should be cut out of a stout piece of leather as used for the
ordinary stiff legs of cavalry boots to the pattern of (fig. 4) and closed at the back,
being strengthened by the addition of a backstrap. A stout solid leather block or

page_text: spur rest is fixed near the bottom of the leg fig: (7 B) and a horizontal slit about
1½ inches in length is cut through the leg upon the inner side and strengthened at
each end with stitching or other means fig. (4 C). The spur strap must be cut rather
high in the upper part and low in the lower part (fig. 6) and afterwards blocked to
the shape of the instep, it should be cut to the pattern in order to conceal that part of
the legging from which the leather is cut away to enable it to fall over the instep
(fig. 5 d).
The spur used is an ordinary regulation chain spur. In order to combine the leg
with the lower part of the boot when worn for mounted duties the wearer must pass
the legging over his foot and on to his leg, the lower part or Blucher being put on
afterwards and laced with the tongue outside the lacing, the leg must then be let
down into position over the instep, the tongue of the boot being inside of the leg.
The spur must next be placed in position with the neck above the spur rest, the spur
chain is passed through the slit in the leg (fig. 7 E) from the inside, then fastened
upon the spur studs upon either side. The spur strap is then fastened over the spur
stud upon the inner side of the leg and firmly buckled upon the outer side.
The spur being thus tightly fixed in its proper position will keep the leg of the
boot in its place, by means of the spur chain having been passed through the slit in
the leg as already indicated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1 The improved method of fixing the tongue of the improved blucher boot