The lower cost and ease of rubber "Wellington" boot manufacture, and being entirely waterproof, lent itself immediately to being the preferred protective material to leather in all forms of industry. Modern Hunter natural rubber wellington boots Also, with the rationing of that time, labourers began to use them for daily work. The boot had developed to become far roomier with a thick sole and rounded toe. In the Netherlands, the British forces were working in flooded conditions which demanded Wellingtons and thigh boots in vast supplies.īy the end of the war in 1945, the Wellington had become popular among men, women and children for wet weather wear. 80% of production was of war materials – from (rubber) ground sheets to life belts and gas masks. In World War II, Hunter Boot was again requested to supply vast quantities of Wellington and thigh boots. In total, 1,185,036 pairs were made to meet the British Army's demands. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots. The North British Rubber Company (now Hunter Boot Ltd) was asked by the War Office to construct a boot suitable for such conditions. Production of the Wellington boot was dramatically boosted with the advent of World War I and a requirement for footwear suitable for the conditions in Europe's flooded and muddy trenches. In a country where 95% of the population were working on fields with wooden clogs as they had been for generations, the introduction of the wholly waterproof, Wellington-type rubber boot became an instant success: farmers would be able to come back home with clean, dry feet. Today the company is simply called Aigle. Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear and moved to France to establish À l'Aigle ("to the Eagle") in 1853, to honour his home country. However, in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear, who had just invented the sulfur vulcanisation process for natural rubber. Wellington boots were at first made of leather. Wellington is one of the two British Prime Ministers to have given his name to an item of clothing, the other being Sir Anthony Eden (see Anthony Eden hat) whilst Sir Winston Churchill gave his name to a cigar, and William Gladstone (four times prime minister between 18) gave his to the Gladstone Bag, the classic doctor's portmanteau. In the 1850s they were more commonly made in the calf-high version, and in the 1860s they were both superseded by the ankle boot, except for riding. Considered fashionable and foppish in the best circles and worn by dandies, such as Beau Brummell, they remained the main fashion for men through the 1840s. Wellington's utilitarian new boots quickly caught on with patriotic British gentlemen eager to emulate their war hero. In the 1815 portrait by James Lonsdale, the Duke can be seen wearing the more formal Hessian style boots, which are tasselled. The boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck in English ever since. It was suitably hard-wearing for riding, yet smart enough for informal evening wear. The heels were low cut, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimetres), and the boot stopped at mid-calf. The resulting new boot was fabricated in soft calfskin leather, had the trim removed and was cut to fit more closely around the leg. James's Street, London, to modify the 18th-century Hessian boot. The Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. Here he is portrayed wearing tasselled Hessian boots These boots require thermal socks to be worn underneath as the rubber does not provide enough warmth. Sailing wear includes short and tall sailing wellingtons with non-marking, slip-resistant soles to avoid damage to a boat's deck. The "Wellington" is a common and necessary safety or hygiene shoe in diverse industrial settings: for heavy industry with an integrated reinforced toe protection from mud and grime in mines, from chemical spills in chemical plants and from water, dirt, and mud in horticultural and agricultural work and serving the high standard of hygiene required in food processing plants, operating theatres, and dust-free clean rooms for electronics manufacture. They are generally just below knee-high although shorter boots are available. They are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers and puddles. Wellington boots in contemporary usage are waterproof and are most often made from rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a halogenated polymer. Clockwise from top: Sperry Top-Sider, Le Chameau, Jeantex, Aigle, Gill, Helly-Hansen and Newport short and tall rubber sailing wellingtons.
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