US Marine Corps Men's Shoes

Shoes, Garrison

Right profile of the USMC garrison shoes.
 
Quick Reference Guide
Description & Use Important Dates Procuring Stations
& Contract Dates 		Common Manufacturers
This shoe is a fully lined, high-top, blucher pattern with a capped toe, leather outsole and composition rubber and leather heel. This shoe was regulation issue and was worn by enlisted men and officers for parade, garrison and field duty.

ENLISTED MEN: These shoes were worn with the winter and summer service uniforms in pre-war years at a time when these uniforms, like the shoes, were worn both in garrison and in the field. These shoes were also worn with the dress blue uniform.

OFFICERS: Worn with the winter and summer service uniforms and various field uniforms.
  • Adopted in 1910.
  • Procurement ended in 1942.
  • Nomenclature changed from Shoes, Leather to Shoes, Garrison in 1944.
Centralized procurement accomplished through The Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps, U.S.M.C. Washington, D.C.

Contracting during the WW2 era occurred between September 1940 and January 1942.
  • Joseph M. Herman Shoe Co.
    Millis, MA.
Distinctive Features
 Fabrics & Fasteners Labeling Types & Variants
  • Wine/burgundy/cordovan color.
  • Toe cap with brouge holes.
  • Full canvas drill lining.
  • USMC inspector punch marks on insole and outsole.
Fabrics:
  • Uppers - Chrome tanned calfskin.
  • Lining - Bleached cotton drilling.
  • Insoles & sliptap - full leather.
  • Outsoles - full leather.

Fasteners:
  • 37 to 45-inch laces strung through 7 to 10 pairs of eyelets depending on shoe size.
Contractor Label: Ink stamped on the inside of the shoe shaft.

Size Label: Punched into the insoles and outsoles. Also included in the contractor label information.

Inspector Labels: Punched into the insole and outsole. Ink stamped to the inside of the shoe shaft. 		Garrison type shoes were produced for three decades leading up to WW2 and more than likely went through several revisions during that time. However likely this may have been the case, changes or iterations of the shoes are undocumented at this time due to the scarcity of pre-war shoes, especially examples in good condition, as well as the lack of access to official documentation on this matter.

Like most items of the period, there were substantial color variations. The shoe is described in period literature with a number of different color references including wine, dark russet, dark-brown mahogany, and cordovan. Examples contracted in the years of 1941 and 1942 seem to be consistently colored in a very dark, almost black, cordovan. Examples made during the pre-war years show more variation in color and many show lighter shade ranges.
Integral Garments
& Equipment 		Insignia Lineage Inter-Service Use
& Equivalents
Garments:

  • Socks, Cotton, Unbleached, White.
  • Socks, Cotton, Mercerized Tan.
  • Socks, Wool.
  • Socks, Wool, Cushion Sole, O.D.
  • Leggings, Canvas, Khaki.
Not applicable. Preceded By:
Unknown.

Superseded By:
Shoes, Field
&
Shoes, Low Quarter. 		US Navy Equivalent:
Shoes, High Black (Type A).

US Army Equivalent:
Shoes, Garrison (Specification QMC 9-35A).
Allowances & Purchases Theaters & Campaigns Comments References
& Further Reading
ENLISTED MEN:
Initial Basic Allowance (1939-41):
  • 2 pairs of Shoes, Leather (Garrison).
Initial Basic Allowance (1942-45):

OFFICERS:
Officers were required to purchase two pairs of high or low brown shoes for wear with the winter and summer service uniforms. 		The leather garrison shoe was used in the early WW2 campaigns including the defense of Iceland, Wake Island, the Philippines, and Midway.

Confirmed:
  • Iceland 1941.
  • Remaining stocks of large and small size garrison shoes continued to be issued into 1945-46.
  • The US Navy's equivalent high black shoe was likewise discontinued in 1942 in favor of a field shoe and low black shoe combination. The high black shoe would return in 1945 in an unlined, full composition rubber sole configuration.
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