Ammo Boots?

Hello, i just wanted to know if Cadets can wear Ammo Boots? I have seen many Adult NCOs wearing them, although it says nothing about them in AP1358c. i would like to know we can use them as they sound a lot better than the average parade shoes and if done well can be polished better. Thank you :slight_smile:

As per AP1358C, cadets may only wear DMS. This goes for staff to, but a lot of Warrant Officers have received special dispensation from HM the Queen to wear them as it makes them look cuwl. B)

Indeed.

You actually answered your own question when you mentioned that it’s not in the AP.

Cadets and Staff cannot wear ammo boots? I wore mine at ATF and no-one said anything? Two of the Cadet NCO’s wear them in my Sqn. They are correctly burnt down, bees-waxed and then bulled. Why doesn’t, a:) Someone tell me at ATF and/or b:) Why in the years these cadets been wearing them no one said anything? Is it because the AP1358C is only loosely followed? If a member of staff and cadets can’t look the smartest they can be then surely that’s all a bit odd?

:popcorn:

2 Likes

Aye lets just crack some UBACS too.

Lets all look smart and “ally”. Screw the rules.

I would agree UBACS are scruffy and untidy, but they should be what they are and not worn as the norm.
Not familiar with the term “ally” though, sorry?

[quote=“Stohl” post=19296]I would agree UBACS are scruffy and untidy, but they should be what they are and not worn as the norm.
Not familiar with the term “ally” though, sorry?[/quote]

Where HAVE you been all these years?

http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/Allyness

May not be safe for work…

Found a pair of ammo boots in the stores a few weeks back.

All very nice and shiny, but… On any smooth or wet surface they must be lethal, let alone what they must do to a polished floor.
This is 2014, not 1950’s with shades of national servicemen!!
Someone will want to bring back the old hairy battledress next (unless allergic to wool).

Right, I will now don my tin hat, and await incoming!!!

Interesting, so AP1358C does now appear to name-check DMS shoes for Cadets.

I thought, originally, it used to just state ‘black shoes’?

Well, not just any old black shoes…

wilf_san

[quote=“Stohl” post=19296]I would agree UBACS are scruffy and untidy, but they should be what they are and not worn as the norm.
Not familiar with the term “ally” though, sorry?[/quote]

Lets not open that can of worms.

And I beleive the term Ally comes from ALI Airborne Light Infantry or so a Para mate of mine informed me.

Why would anyone choose to wear Ammo Boots?! I would rather staple rough sandpaper and glass to my feet.

Gimme 30 mins with those shoes - not even a challenge. :wink:

<<<< Why would anyone choose to wear Ammo Boots?! I would rather staple rough sandpaper and glass to my feet. >>>>

In the good old days of the 1970’s, when various factions (skinheads, etc) fancied their chances against little cadets, they were quite useful. And I had to walk about 2.5 miles each way to the Sqn wearing them - all character-building stuff, & quite comfortable. Yoof of today wouldn’t be able to wear them for more than 20 mins, all the soft shoes & trainers that they wear! :stuck_out_tongue:

Back int’ day when men were men, and sheep were scared?

Baaa! :wink:

Main activities were shooting, flying & chasing the GVC! :woohoo:

The old regs in ACAI204 certainly used to state “black shoes” and I believe that AP1358C ought to allow the same for cadets, though it has always stated DMS shoes since its release (yes, I have every version on file)

More to the point, does anyone know whether the plastic sole-plates/toe-taps that can be affixed to leather-soled parade shoes actually work?

These appear to be the 21st century ‘veggie version’ of the original metal Blakeys/segs/clackers that armour-plated the underside of classic ammo boots.

Although these were/are good for delivering a positive crack on the tarmac (and aid certain drill movements) many of the rougher ones would also rotovate your carpet / strip your lino / nuke your laminate. Such fun used to be had in witnessing certain metal-footed individuals falling over 90deg backwards on parades, all just by the addition of a light shower of rain and AVTUR.

So are these newer sole-‘savers’ actually any good? Has anyone done an unofficial RA on them, in a range of weather situations? Any road reports available?

wilf_san

Because a lot of people only follow the AP when it suits them which is not the right way of doing things… Why dont you be the firts on your Sqn to make a stand for what is right?

Corrected that for you. No need to thank me.

Just to throw a discussion point into the mix…

Ammo boots are not mentioned in the RAF dress regs (AP1358) either, but they issue them to DIs (so I’ve been told by a couple of them).
The comments from RAF DIs are regularly along the lines of “Why shouldn’t you wear ammo boots for drill if you want to?”.

a somewhat wider point, but are Ammo Boots a ‘good’ thing regardless of whether this or that rule book says they can or cannot be worn?

Ammo Boots are only good for foot drill on concrete/tarmac, and moreover they are only worth having if everyone/nearly everyone has them. they can’t be worn inside, and they can’t be used on a training area or range. is it a good idea to have cadets think that Ammo Boots are required/favoured/smiled-upon because Sqn SNCO’s wear them?

if Cdt Jones buys a pair of DMS shoes he can wear them on the Sqn, he can also wear them to school. if he buys a pair of S8’s/Assault boots/whatever-they’re-called-this-week he can wear them with his blues, and on the range/training area, and he might get away with them at school.

should the ACO perhaps decide that explicitly banning them because they are a dead-end waste of, in some cases, a very finite supply of money is as good a reason as any other? and that the cadet who doesn’t buy Ammo Boots (anywhere from £30 to £70 on fleabay…) has money available to buy a more supportive rucksack, or decent waterproofs, or better walking/combat boots…

people will say that this or that purchacing priority is up to each individial, but with ammo boots its not, because they are only really worth having if the whole squad wears them - that puts pressure on the cadet in the way that an individual choosing between a pair of Alt-bergs and a pair of Hi-Tec’s doesn’t.