So I understand female parade shoes should have an equal bull throughout, however I have heard 2 different opinions on male parade shoes. I have heard they should be the same as female and also that only the toe cap should be highly bulled and the rest should just have less layers on, but still polished.
Which is right and where does it say this?
Thanks
For males the toe cap should be bulled & the rest of the shoe âhighly polishedâ.
Males are to wear âhighly polishedâ dms shoes. No mention to how much each part of the shoe should be polished, however bulling the whole shoe to the same standard looks a lot better.
I disagree. If the toe cap is to be bulled & the rest of the shoe âhighly polishedâ there is, and should be, two distinct levels of polish.
Where does it say this in dress regs or anywhere else? I read up a bit and only found what @GazzaB has said
AP 1358C merely states cadets are to wear DMS shoes. Not that they are highly polished & nothing about the cleanliness of them.
AP 818 (drill & ceremonial) mentions that shoes must be clean. But again, nothing about the level of polish that should be applied.
A quick google of AP1358C and search for âhighly polishedâ says:
âShoes: Black issue, highly polished laced or court.
(Note 4)â
However I could not find anything as to which areas are to be highest polished
That refers to female shoes. Court shoes (ie those with higer heels than parade shoes) are an acceptable style for females who wear skirts.
There is nothing in 1358C as to which areas of the shoe need to be polished. If in doubt, ask your Sqn Warrant Officer. But they will probably tell you as I have, that the toe cap needs to be bulled & the rest of the shoe âhighly polishedâ. Note I put that in inverted commas - there is no definition of what that means in any Air Cadet manual.
QCS boots are bulled all round to the same standard. Of course they use beeswax and get paid, and itâs ridiculous to compare cadets who attend Sqn. twice a week to QCS, but highly bulled toe cap, uppers, sides and heels will certainly make you stand out and look fantastic. Itâs not necessary, but it will literally reflect your pride and commitment, and isnât really that difficult to do.
see para 0207 of AP1358c
(for females)
no mention of a certain portion of the shoe or even a âbull shineâ simply âhighly polishedâ
As a Sqn WO:
1 - I expect the full shoe, as per the paragraphs above
2 - a high shine (to take words from Shania Twain) âdoes not impress me muchâ when the rest of the uniform is a mess.
Steve.
I believe we are arguing the same point just from a slightly different perspective.
As you state, there is nothing in 1358C about which areas of the shoe must be highly polished, (although para 0207 refers to No 1 uniform, which cadets will not be issued as standard) as I have said repeatedly in my posts.
However, I was asked a few questions, for which I supplied answers. As a former SWO myself I gave my view that I would like to see a distinction between the toe cap shine & the rest of the shoe, but that there is nothing in the regs to explain that in more detail.
My preference is for a clean shoe with attention to the welts, rather than a bulled toecap, which in the cadet environment is at best impractical.
I remember spending hours dealing with scuffs and scratches after an average parade night and then there was the joy of the mess created after being at an event where walking through grass was inescapable. When I become uniformed staff I worked on getting a nicely cleaned shoe, rather than messing around with bulling a toecap, except when I went to ACTC / ATF, just to placate the mindset.
When you consider many parents struggle to buy shoes for school, Iâve always thought it wrong to insist that cadets have a pair of shoes for cadets. Especially if you put growing feet into the equation. I know that surplus shops offer G1 or better, but Iâve always found that they advertise them but when you turn up they havenât got the size or they are in poor order and immediately offer the brand new option at 3 times the cost.
A very good point made Farriersaxe. The third paragraph especially sums up what many often forget. Super bulling has no place in the Cadets. Get the welts and heels free from ingrained muck and the rest clean and polished, then fine. GazzaB is quite right in that it does reflect commitment but enjoying the cadet experience is more important. AndâŚQCS boots only look good when they are polished and not painted. A couple of their members have found themselves in nick at Welly B because of it, sorry!
Itâs the same for both male and female - the entire shoe is to be highly polished.
âHighly polishedâ means the same thing as âbulledâ. The word âbulledâ does not appear in the dress regulations.
Hi where would I find court shoes for female cadets?
Female cadets are not permitted to wear court shoes. Court shoes can only be worn by adult staff.
Alright thanks