Recent Acquisition: Jim’s Army Boots
By Brandon Dickens
At the museum, we have just recently acquired a very interesting historical object that we wanted to share with you: a pair of British Army Boots that were worn during World War Two (1939 – 1945). These boots belonged to local veteran Jim Lumsden, who was born in 1914 at 33 Abbey Street and lived at 17 Abbey Court, almost directly opposite, for most of his life. This item was generously donated by Jim’s nephew, who also gave us some information about his late uncle’s life, including his service in World War Two, his return to St Andrews afterwards and his passing in 2012.
First, some information about the type of boots themselves. They were commonly known as ammunition, or “ammo”, boots and were typically worn in their different variants by the British army for around a century, from the 1860s to the 1960s. Earlier boots of this style had to be polished to get their black colour, however they were issued from factories in black after 1927. The underside of these boots have hobnails in the sole and a “horseshoe” heelplate which helped give them traction as well as reducing wear and tear in the leather. The heelplate was said to make a very distinct sound when walking which amplified the sounds of marches. The insides of the soles on the pair we’ve acquired say “7S” and “1943” which marks the size of Jim’s army boots and the date of manufacturing/issuing respectively.
Jim travelled far and wide during his service in World War Two, according to notes that he left behind. He passed his medical examinations in Edinburgh in 1940, before being sent to army barracks in Portsmouth for six months. After this, he spent two weeks in Ayrshire learning how to make rafts for crossing rivers. He made a remark in his notes about being “soaking wet” and having to sleep on a golf course! Next, he was away to Liverpool to learn how to ride a motorbike over the course of a mere four days. Jim recalled visiting France for one day, with a note saying “no real war” as the Axis had not reached that area of Europe by this time. The following two years after this had him return to England to learn about “chemistry, ammunition and the handling of different chemical gasses.” Jim was part of the Royal Army Ordnance Corp, which led him to work alongside both the 1st Army and the 8th Army.
Jim’s notes tell us that he saw warfare in 1942, joining the newly reformed British 1st Army in French North Africa. This would’ve been a a part of Operation Torch, the landings which came as a joint invasion between the US and Britain with the goal of helping France reclaim their territory from Nazi Germany and Italy. There were three task forces that landed as part of this operation, with the Western Task Force landing in Casablanca, Morocco, the Centre Task Force landing in Oran, Algeria and the Eastern Task Force landing in Algiers, Algeria. Jim’s notes suggest he landed in Algiers. The French Resistance here had already been staging a coup to drive the Axis occupiers out, meaning the Eastern Task Force had less Axis resistance and were able to take the area within a day.
The British 8th Army had already been fighting the Axis in Egypt. Starting on the 23rd October 1942, there was a long battle between the 8th Army and the Axis known as the “Second Battle of El Alamein”, which saw German and Italian forces driven out of Egypt and Libya, back to the Tunisian border. Jim noted that with the 1st Army, he “retraced steps back to Tunis (fighting)” and “joined the 8th Army”. This was part of a pincer attack strategy employed by Allied Forces to attack German and Italian forces from both sides, which is how the 1st Army met the 8th. Once the Axis were pushed out of North Africa, the 1st Army was disbanded once more. Jim’s account then mentions how he crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Malta and Italy for six months.
Now we have reached 1943, according to Jim’s notes. This is when he will have been issued these army boots, which he wore during the biggest sea landing in military history. He spent three to four weeks in Southampton once he’d returned to Britain. He recalled that “all personnel in small units were told to invade Normandy beach.” Jim was part of “Operation Overlord”, also known as the Battle of Normandy. This began with D-Day, the invasion of Normandy beach. The Normandy landings were pivotal for the Allies in pushing Germany back through Europe towards the end of the war in 1944. This was no short feat and took a lot of time, manpower and determination to achieve. Learning from the landings of Operation Torch, the Allied strategy could be amended to invade France’s shores successfully.
In the final section of the notes left by Jim, he mentions fighting through France into Germany “across the Rhine” and advancing through Hanover. He finished up in Belsen Concentration Camp, halfway between Hanover and Hamburg and was tasked with “helping the German people” until he was demobilised with the other men he served alongside.
Jim was granted many medals for his participation in the war, for each of the places that he served. Once it was over, he moved back to St Andrews and lived here for the rest of his life, getting a job at Draffens in Dundee which he commuted to by train from the old St Andrews Station.
Jim was a veteran who gave years of his life to the battle against Nazi Germany and its fascist allies. I have enjoyed my time researching the parts of the war in which he was involved and it was a privilege to be able to see and hold these army boots in person, knowing the path of history they have walked.
https://csmilitaria.co.uk/shop.php?code=12747
https://www.historicflyingclothing.com/en-GB/miscellaneous—general/ww2-british-ammo-boots/prod_15966
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammunition_boot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Army_(United_Kingdom)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/struggle-north-africa-1940-43
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-alamein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_El_Alamein
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/royal-army-ordnance-corps
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/d-day