A British army officer took a pair of shoes to his local cobbler in early July, 1914. He asked the cobbler to sole and heel the shoes. The following day, the officer was called up to serve with his regiment, as World War 1 had begun, and he did not return to England until a few days after the war ended. The officer went to the cobbler's and presented his ticket. "I've called to collect my shoes," he said. The cobbler looked at the shoes that were on his shelf, and he said, "They'll be ready on Friday."