Ammunition boot Ammunition boots , also known as Boots , General Service ( BGS ) , were the standard footwear for the British Army from the late 1880s until the late 1950s . They replaced the earlier lace - up " Blucher " ( also known as Wellington ) boots that had been in service since the early 1800s . The term " Ammunition boots " comes from the boots ' unusual source . They were 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 ) . They were usually produced at a factory on site , but civilian manufacturers were given contracts to produce them during times of increased demand . Ammunition boots were unlined ankle - boot s 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 " . 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 but polished black boots were still worn by some individuals or units out of habit . Officers , who purchased their own uniforms , were still required to wear polished brown boots and matching leather Sam Browne belt with their field service uniform , marking them apart from their men . Officers ' boots had heel plates , but lacked the sole studs and toe plates because they could afford to have the soles replaced . The later Boots , General Service adopted in 1927 were issued from the factory in black leather . Patterns . The original Pattern 1037 was made from 1887 to 1907 . During the Second Boer War ( 1899 - 1902 ) , civilian manufacturers made a series of variants on the Pattern 1037 due to differing manufacturing techniques ( like machine - sewn uppers or glued - on outer soles ) . These were declared obsolete in 1903 as they were not of uniform appearance and did not wear well . An improved 1037i pattern was adopted from 1907 to 1911 . It was temporarily replaced by the similar 7325 and 7326 patterns from 1911 to 1914 while they did research for a replacement boot . The experimental " A " and " HN " series were also made during this time but were obsolete by the dawn of World War I . By 1915 , the " B " series was begun , consisting chiefly of the " B2 " and " B5 " . It was a pattern of ammunition boot with woven cotton laces , a plain - leather counter , and lacked the leather toe cap . It was created to save leather and increase production . To reinforce the boot and increase wear the B2 series had a horizontal seam between the parts of the upper and the " B5 " series had rivets between the vamp and quarters . In 1918 , the post - war 9902 pattern came into service . It had a " clump sole " ( one - piece sole and heel ) , smooth leather vamp and quarters , and pebbled - leather counter and toe - cap . It came in brown leather , but was polished black . In 1924 , the Pattern 4055 boot , foreruner of the " Boot , General Service " ( BGS ) was issued . It came in brown leather and had 25 hobnails . In 1927 , the later Pattern 10085 boot , the BGS , was similar except it came in black leather . Variant Patterns . Vehicle drivers wore boots without hobnail s because they would damage the pedals and create sparks . This was extended to armored vehicle crews in the Royal Tank Regiment and Reconnaissance Corps in 1942 , as well as to the crews of waterborne craft of the Royal Army Service Corps in 1943 . Specialists and ammo storesmen were issued regular ammo boots with rubber heels and rubber crepe soles that lacked the hobnails and steel heel - and toe - plates . This was to avoid creating sparks near flammable or explosive stores ( like gunpowder or gasoline ) . Commandos were issued them to make it easier for them to sneak around . During World War II , a pattern without the toecap was used by the Canadian Army and was issued to the Royal Air Force and the Royal Marines . As an economy measure the number of hobnails were reduced in April , 1942 to 15 hobnails , later reduced to 13 hobnails in September , 1942 . The boots were the focus of much drill and attention . Achieving a high polish was often the aim and required hours of " bulling " ( vigorous polishing ) until it achieved a deep sheen . Experienced soldiers would " burn - down " the dimpled surface of the boots with beeswax and a heated spoon to make them smooth and easier to shine . Ammo boots were replaced by directly moulded sole boots ( DMS boots ) in 1958 . These were lace - up leather ankle - boots with a leather toe - cap .