If by Army you mean regular or reservists then they usually have 2 pairs of boots, one that they shine (it was Altbergs, not sure what the regulars now get) and Aku or similar for the field. For No2 / FAD officers wear shoes and ORs ‘ammo’ boots which are bees waxed and bulled.
That’s going off what my local regiment does, regimental traditions could be a whole thread of its own.
Should you polish boots? Unless they are the suede type then regular polishing will keep them waterproof, prevent splitting or cracking and even stop them squeaking in the field. But don’t bull them.
Boots are part of our combat uniform, and the modern boots supplied for that purpose generally don’t mirror shine (if they have leather at all). The boots the Army and RAF Regt wear with ceremonial uniforms are called ‘ammo’ boots and are not particularly practical with a combat uniform.
Agreed. But until we get those, so long as the shoes are clean I really couldn’t care less how shiny or not a cadet’s shoes are. They have much more important things to be doing than drawing pretty little circles with polish.
When Im asked to inspect uniforms, I hold cadets to the standards set by me and the cadet NCO accompanying me. If the shoes are clean but not shiny I’ll give some pointers: but I’m more concerned with ill-fitting or damaged items of uniform.
I don’t have the individual’s name, but there is a group on LinkedIn called ‘RAF Leeming Ready Use Armaments Section’. Google also offers ‘Rotary Uncrewed Aerial System’ as another possibility.