Boot-making was an old trade in Bristol, but only one or two firms were making Army boots before the war. In 1914, the French government began to order large quantities of boots from Bristol. New machines were ordered, factories reorganised and many more workers were recruited and trained. Women filled places left vacant by men who had enlisted.

As the war progressed, Bristol supplied the British, French, Serbian, Italian, Russian and American Armies with boots. Three to four million pairs were made, with different styles to suit conditions in different theatres of war, from snow to deserts. Bristol companies also made canvas shoes for wounded soldiers recovering in hospitals.

The needs of the war effort left a shortage of boots and shoes for civilians, resulting in high prices. In January 1918, a standard boot for people in Britain was introduced and two million pairs of boots and shoes were made in Bristol as part of this scheme.