Skills and Disciplines You Learn at Sandhurst That Every Man Should Know

As well as a respect for authority, camaraderie and physical and mental strength, soldiers leave Sandhurst with many skills and disciplines that every man should know. Today's skill is the hyper-masculine art of polishing shoes. 

How to shine your shoes –

Everyone has their own method for shining shoes but no leather shines better than that of freshly polished military boots. It’s a simple yet effective.

Tools –

Tin of Polish (Kiwi Shoe Polish is a fail-safe)

Thick brush for dirt removing

Shoe polish brush / old thick sports sock

Horse hair polish brush

Shine Cloth

Step One – Spread a towel or newspaper over the area you will be working on. Wouldn’t want to get black polish on your oak floorboards.

Step Two – Clean dirt and dust off with thick horsehair brush (presuming you haven’t been tending to the livestock in these shoes.) If using water to help along the cleaning process remember to leave time for drying before applying polish.

Step Three – Cover the entire shoe with polish, making sure you match your polish as closely to the shoe colour as possible using a shoe polish brush or surprisingly an old sports sock. Allow approximately 15 minutes to fully dry.

Step Four – Brush the entire shoe vigorously using a horsehair shine brush. As you brush you will remove the excess polish and give them a nice shine.

Step Five – Once you have gone over the whole shoe it is time to pay particular attention to the toe and heel. Take your shine cloth and proceed to move over your shoe in small circular motions, adding extra polish if required. 

Events for Gents - Cowes Week 11th -18th

Founded in 1826, Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight signals the end of the season. Another Royal Regatta but this time sailing. Starting at the Royal Yacht Squadron, the firing of the cannons mark the beginning of the race at 10am. Cowes is probably the most relaxed event of the season with the whole island getting involved. Crews join everyone else in the entertainment villages and you can watch races on the Solent from shore, the Green, the Parade or rent a place in a boat. This year’s Cowes Week will be taking place straight after the Olympics so you can hope to celebrate GB’s historically most successful Olympic sports while you are there. The closing ceremony of the games will be shown on big screens throughout Cowes on Sunday 12^th and there will be a best of British crew party on the 17^th with Olympians in attendance with their medals in toe hopefully!

 Dress Code - It’s not an enclosed site, so the atmosphere is extremely chilled. You'll see as many sailors in shorts and fleeces making for the beer tents, as you will grandees in white ducks and blazers en route to one of the five yacht clubs. Essentially, there is no dress code at all unless you are attending a yacht club ball, if not ,stick to casual summer attire, bring a blazer and Panama for good measure if you are worried. 


GQ Germany

Jon Kortajarena for GQ Germany. Kortajarena shows us how to do summer suits, take note. 

Drinking Establishment of the Month

July 2012 - Henry J. Beans

With the biggest beer garden in London, Henry J’s is the optimum location for you to roll up your shirtsleeves and order a few jugs of Pimms. If you’d rather stick to beer they offer a wide selection of draught beer including Guinness and bottled lagers such as Corona. The interior is dark and at times a little too loud to enjoy your company and tricked out with American flags and license plates.  The outside area truly steals the show with plenty of seating and outdoor heaters. The crowd is young, bubbly and ready to party. If you are peckish do not miss the sharing dish Chicago Board of Trade, a platter of different cooked meats, potato wedges and an array of tasty sauces. 

Skills and Disciplines You Learn at Sandhurst That Every Man Should Know

As well as a respect for authority, camaraderie and physical and mental strength, soldiers leave Sandhurst with many skills and disciplines that every man should know. Today's skill is the hyper-masculine art of lighting a fire without matches. 

How to light a fire without matches – No you probably wont have to use this skill very often but think how SAS you will look when and if you do. There’s a primal link between man and fire and a manly man knows how to light one without the aid of matches. It’s an essential survival skill as well as a way to impress. You never know when a situation will arise when you will have to step up to the mark and show your masculinity by whipping up a heart warming fire. Perhaps you go overboard on your yacht and find yourself washed up on a deserted island and your matches are too wet to use. Or maybe you are hiking in Yellowstone and you loose your rucksack in a scuffle with a bear. Whether or not you will ever need this skill it’s just damn cool to know you can start a fire, wherever and whenever you want.  This is one of many methods but this one doesn’t require flint, batteries or steel wool.

 Step One – Make a socket. The socket is used to put pressure on the top of the spindle as you are rotating the bow. It can be made of stone or wood. Sappy wood is preferable as it creates a lubricant between the spindle and socket.

Step Two – Make a bow. It should be approximately the length of your arm. Use flexible wood that can curve or is already slightly curved. The string can be made of anything that won’t snap easily – rope, shoe string or rawhide work well.

Step Three – Prepare the Fireboard. Cut a V shape into a piece of wood, creating a depression adjacent to it for your spindle to sit in. Hae the wood slightly raised off the ground, resting steadily on rocks or more wood. Place your tinder underneath the notch.

Step Four – String up the spindle. Catch the spindle on a loop of the bowstring. Place one end of the spindle in the fireboard and apply pressure on the other end with your socket.

Step Five – Start sawing. Using your bow, start pulling back and fourth. The spindle should be rotating as quickly as possible. Keep sawing until embers are created.

Step Six – Make your fire. Drop the ember into the tinder nest and blow on it gently. Well done sir, you’ve made fire with your bare hands.