Historical information

These boots belonged to Captain Charlie Rogers of the Australian Army who wore these and ceremonial regalia when he was part of the Guard of Honour during the visit of the Duke of Gloucester in 1934. The visit was part of Victoria’s centenary celebrations and the Duke officially opened the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. Rogers was a well-known Warrnambool identity in the 1930s, 40s and 50s as a horseman and an Army identity. He built a house in Birdwood Avenue, Warrnambool, in 1935 and was a long-serving Warrnambool Show official as a judge of equine events. Rogers died in 1961.

Significance

These items are of great interest as examples of the boots worn by Army Lighthorse personnel in the 1930s. The mechanism for keeping the boots in good condition is of some technological interest. They are also of interest because they belonged to a well-known 20th century Warrnambool person.

Physical description

These are two knee-high brown leather boots with brown laces. The boots are slightly scuffed. Inside the boots are two pieces of red-striped canvas. The boots have wooden inserts to support the boots in storage. These wooden inserts, all varnished, are in four pieces - a solid foot shape to fit in the foot of the boots, two pieces shaped to fit the calf of the leg padded with green felt, one with slight indents at the top and the bottom and the other with a decided groove and the centre piece that has a hole cut out to fit the shape of the other two. This last piece has a wooden handle with a metal attachment. There is only one handle as it can be screwed out and fitted to either wooden insert.

Inscriptions & markings

On the two wooden inserts ‘R ‘ for right and ‘L’ for left, marked twice on each insert.