Officer's Field Service boots, WWI

item details

NameOfficer's Field Service boots, WWI

ProductionW Saunders; shoemaker; October 1913; London

Classificationmilitary uniforms, boots

Materialsleather, wood, steel

DimensionsOverall: 105mm (width), 465mm (height), 300mm (length)

Registration NumberPC001625

Credit lineGift of Mrs W.J. Hutchinson, 1968

Overview

Field Service calf boots were standard issue for New Zealand officers throughout the First World War. This pair is believed to have been owned by Colonel Thomas W. McDonald (1869 -1968). McDonald was a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the Otago Infantry Battalion prior to the advent of the war, and rose to the rank of colonel during the conflict. McDonald fought in Egypt but returned to New Zealand before the end of the war due to illness.

The boots were made by the London shoemaker W. Saunders. The boots feature the handwritten inscription: 'W Saunders and Sons, Bond Street, London. October 1913.' The boot pattern was first introduced into the British Army in August 1913 and were worn by mounted officers. Each boot is supported by a four-piece wooden tree; three segments for the leg of the boot and a single piece for the foot. Fitted together, these supports sit inside each boot and the central pieces have a brass pull ring at the top. These boots have a plain toe (toe caps were optional) and steel hobnails fix the boot soles in place.