Beeswaxed shoes

Everyone Uniform and Drill
1

I have been handed beeswaxed parade shoes from my brother who was in the QCS who had them. Are we allowed to wear them?

2

Are they studded?

3

Not the ones he given me no

4

Then yes.

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5

Was just unsure as AP1358c says they need to be to a ā€œhigh shineā€ and didnā€™t know if beeswax was acceptable

6

Beeswaxing is just a method of preparing the shoe for polishing. It solidifys the leather to prevent creasing and creates a smoother surface to polish on.

They still need to be polished like normal shoes.

Also on a note if any cadets reading this thinking I want to do that to my shoes. Dont. The shoes need to be prepared with extra leather around the welt. It involves extreme heat and i guarantee your shoes will fall apart.

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7

Mine didnā€™t.

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8

You can buy pre-beeswaxed and bulled parade shoes off ebay

9

If theyā€™re shoes why are studs a problem?
I know that people have started getting overly precious about ā€˜ammoā€™ boots.

10

Ammo boots are horrendous. I canā€™t beleive lads used to fight wars in them. They are a health hazard.

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11

You canā€™t go onto or near certain parts of an RAF Station wearing them. (POL Stores etc)

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12

Because in reality you cant wear them anywhere apart from the parade square. Standard useā€¦you will be prohibited to what you can do as they are not permitted most places on station. On a Sqn they will easily shred the floor and/or carpet

13

I am more than aware of those things, a number of us as cadets had to do section visits in trainers as we had quarter tips and or blakeys.
I just wondered if there was something from the pace sticky pies eaters saying it is verboten unless youā€™ve done a course.

14

Nothing in 1358c to say not.

15

There is the book and then the many, many individual rules and adaptations people invent/make up, that make the organisation what it is.

16

Itā€™s primarily because someone has decided that itā€™s far too dangerous to ever allow cadets to wear studs.

Whilst that might seem like a logical assessment - studs are more slippery and require greater care than rubber soles - Iā€™m not sure that the evidence supports the fear. Iā€™ve seen stacks of Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets parading in ammo boots without incident every year for years.

17

There might be little risk from using segs unless in a specifically dangerous or fragile environment, but there is also no real benefit either.

Beeswaxed shoes without segs are no risk but regular DMS are perfectly adequate.

18

No argument from me there.

19

Thereā€™s another very good argument against beeswaxed and ā€˜Guards-isedā€™ shoes and boots becoming fashionable/de-rigour/must-haves in the ACO, and thatā€™s opportunity cost: eBay tells that a pair of DMS shoes/boots that have had the full treatment are going for between Ā£30 and Ā£100 - the vast majority of cadets have a finite budget, Ā£30 on a DMS shoe is a Bergen, or daysack, or windproof smock and trousers that they arenā€™t buying, a Ā£100 pair of glossy ammo boots that canā€™t be worn anywhere but a parade square is a decent pair of hillwalking boots, a set of gore-tex and a softie jacket that the cadet wonā€™t have.

Staff should, imv, be very careful about the trends they set within Sqnā€™sā€¦

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