To War With Wellingtons
Till Arthur Wellesley the first Duke of Wellington got them designed and made popular, Wellingtons as they are known till today were unknown. Wellingtons are also known variously as Welly boots, Wellies, or Gumboots. In the early nineteenth century, breeches worn to knee length started to be replaced by ankle length trousers. The boots worn till then were of the buccaneer style, fold down tops with heavy braid. One could not wear them comfortably with the new fashion trousers. New smoother boots were needed to go under the legs of the trousers.
Wellington got a cobbler Hoby of St. James Street in London to adapt a new version of the hessian boots popular with the tribes of Germany settled in the then city state of Hesse, now known as Hessen. Hessians did not have the top turn down flaps nor the heavy decoration of the then popular boots. They were softer, more comfortable to wear and could be drawn on and taken off with ease. Hoby was directed to stream line the Hessians further by cutting them to be closer to the leg for better ease of putting on and taking off. Thus was the Wellington boots born.
Wellington’s idea was to wear one pair of boots suitable for both the battlefield and for formal wear during social occasions. Wellington by this time was a cult figure having routed Napoleon at Waterloo. His boots were emulated by the admiring young blades of Britain and soon became extremely popular due to their practicality. Quite why Wellington chose to have one pair of boots for both types of use remains a mystery to-date.
The early Wellingtons were made from soft calf leather. Boot makers however, began to experiment with other materials like rubber. Seeing great potential, American businessman Henry Lee Norris shifted his entire boot making business from America to Scotland in 1856 and called the venture North British Rubber Company. This subsequently became the Hunter Rubber Company.
During World War I, the British War Office asked for boots suitable for trench warfare and use in the marshy conditions of France and Belgium. Thus the waterproof boots made from rubber was born. The North British Rubber Company obliged and produced some 1.2 million pairs for use for the united war effort in the horrid and squalid conditions of the trenches and battlefields of Europe.
In World War II too, the Wellington boot was standard issue to soldiers all over the globe. They were in use by both the military and civilians working for the war effort. Since then, the Wellington boots have been popular with civilians in many walks of life, for use in sport, agriculture and work places.
