Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

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Field Marshal Lord Haig
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Field Marshal Lord Haig

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE (June 19, 1861 - January 28, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I. He was commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the Somme and the 3rd Battle of Ypres. His tenure as commander of the BEF made Haig one of the most controversial military commanders in British history.

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Early service

He was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Haig, who was head of the family's successful Haig & Haig whisky distillery. Haig attended Clifton College and studied at Brasenose College, Oxford. Afterwards, Haig enrolled in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1884; he was commissioned into the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars the following year and promoted to lieutentant shortly afterwards. He first saw overseas service in India, in 1887, where he was appointed as the regiment's adjutant in 1888, giving Haig his first administrative experience. He was promoted to captain in 1891.

He saw his first active service in Kitcherner's Omdurman Campaign in 1898, where he was attached to the cavalry forces of the Egyptian Army, acting as Chief of Staff to brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Robert George Broadwood. When the Boer War began the following year, Haig was appointed to Deputy Assistant Adjutant General . He served in the Boer War in further administrative positions with the cavalry, acting first as the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General in 1899. Haig was employed briefly as Chief Staff Officer to Major-General John French during the Colesburg operations, then as Assistant Adjutant General of the Cavalry Division. He was mentioned in despatches four times. His service in South Africa gained him prominence and the attention of John French and Kitchener, both of whom would have important roles in World War I.

In 1901 he became the commanding officer of the 17th Lancers, which he commanded until 1903. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII in 1902, remaining in this position until 1904. After leaving the 17th Lancers, Haig returned to India after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, and became Inspector-General of Cavalry. He was promoted to major-general in 1904, making him the youngest officer to hold the rank at that time. The following year, Haig married Dorothy Maud Vivian; they would have four childern - Alexandra (born 1907), Victoria (born 1908, George (born 1918) and Irene (born 1919).

Haig returned to England in 1906 as the Director of Military Training. During this time, Haig assisted Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane in his reforms of the British Army, which was intended to prepare the army for a future European war. He took up the post of Director of Staff Duties in the War Office in 1907. A second returm to India came in 1909, when he was appointed as India's Chief of the General Staff. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1910, became GOC Aldershot from 1912 to 1914, and Aide-de-Camp to King George V.

First World War

Upon the outbreak of war in August 1914, Haig helped organise the British Expeditionary Force, commanded by Field Marshal John French. As planned, Haig's Aldershot command was formed into I Corps, giving him command of half of the BEF. Tensions quickly arose between Haig and French. Haig and Lord Kitchener, who was now Secretary of State for War, clashed with French over the positioning of the BEF. French argued to the war council that it should be positioned in Belgium, where he had confidence in the country's many fortresses, while Haig and Kitchener proposed that the BEF would be better positioned to counter-attack in Amiens, stating that the BEF would have to abandon its positions in Belgium once the poorly-equipped Belgian Army collapsed, forcing the BEF into retreat with the loss of much of its supplies. During a royal inspection of Aldershot, Haig told King George V that he had "grave doubts" about French's competence.

Map of the Western Front in 1914.
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Map of the Western Front in 1914.

The BEF landed in France on 14 August and advanced into Belgium, where John French intended to meet up with General Lanrezac's French Fifth Army at Charleroi. During the advance, however, the BEF experienced their first encounter with the Germans at Mons on 23 August. The Germans were bloodied in the battle, but the BEF began a withdrawal after Lanzerac ordered his army into retreat, thus exposing the BEF's right flank. The decision by Horace Smith-Dorrien, commander of II Corps, to make a stand at Le Cateau on 26 August further delayed Germany's advance.

I and II Corp were now separated by the Forest of Mormal. Haig's reactions to his corps' engagement with German forces at Landrecies led to him sending an exaggerated report to John French, causing French to panic further. The French commander, Joseph Joffre had ordered his forces to retreat to the Marne on 25 August, compelling the BEF to undertake a lengthy and arduous withdrawal to conform to the French movements. John French's faltering belief in the competence of his Allies caused further indecision, and led to him effectively deciding to pull the BEF out of the war by withdrawing south of the Seine. Lord Kitchener, in the uniform of a field marshal, intervened on 1 September, making a personal visit to dissuade French and order him to continue cooperation with Joffre's forces. The stand to defend Paris began on 5 September, in the Battle of the Marne. The BEF weren't able to participate in the battle until 9 September. The battle ended the following day; the German advance was defeated, prompting them to initiate a withdrawal to the Aisne that signified the abandonment of the Schlieffen Plan.

Stretcher bearers recovering wounded during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, September 1916.
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Stretcher bearers recovering wounded during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, September 1916.


Following relative successes at Battle of Mons and Ypres (1st Battle of Ypres), Haig was promoted to full General and made second-in-command of the British forces in France under Sir John French. In December 1915 Haig replaced French as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, with French returning to Britain to head the Home forces. Haig had been campaigning for the removal of French as commander of the BEF and had told King George V that French was "a source of great weakness to the army, and no one had confidence in him any more". He directed several British campaigns, including the British offensive at the Somme, in which the forces under his command sustained over 500,000 casualties while ultimately taking only few kilometers of ground, and the campaign at Passchendaele (3rd Battle of Ypres). Haig's tactics in these battles are still controversial to this day, with many, including the then Prime Minister, Lloyd George, arguing that he incurred unnecessarily large casualties for little strategic gain. In 1917 Haig was made a field marshal. In 1918 following the final German assault Haig's forces had much success prior to the German collapse and the end of the war. Haig had frequent disagreements and strained relations with both his Prime Minister and his French counterparts, particularly, Robert Nivelle and Ferdinand Foch.

Later Life

Field Marshal Haig unveiling the National War Memorial in St. John's, Newfoundland. (Memorial Day 1 July 1924)

After the war, Haig was created Earl Haig (with a subsidiary viscountcy and a subsidiary barony) and a grant of £ 100,000. He was commander-in-chief of home forces in Great Britain until his retirement in 1920.

He devoted the rest of his life to the welfare of ex-servicemen, travelling throughout the British Empire to promote their interests. He was instrumental in setting up the Haig Fund for the financial assistance of ex-servicemen and the Haig Homes charity to ensure they were properly housed; both continue to provide help many years after they were created. He also played an active role in the creation of the Royal British Legion, which he was president of until his death, and was chairman of the United Services Fund.

He maintained linkes with the British Army after his retirement; he was honorary colonel of the 17th/21st Lancers (having been honorary colonel of the 17th Lancers from 1912), Royal Horse Guards, The London Scottish, and the King's Own Scottish Borderers. He was also chancellor of the University of St Andrews.

Haig died in 1928 at the age of 66. He remained an enormously popular public figure until his death, even amongst ex-servicemen; his state funeral was attended by over 100,000 people. He is buried at Dryburgh Abbey, Edinburgh.

Reputation

A statue of Haig at Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.
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A statue of Haig at Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.

After the war, he was criticised by some historians for what was perceived to be excessive slaughter of troops under his command, earning him a nickname as the "Butcher of the Somme". Others gave him much praise, arguing that he performed well given the situation and circumstances in which he was placed. Most notably, American General John J. Pershing remarked that Haig was "the man who won the war". Brian Bond, in his 2002 book The Unquiet Western Front: Britain's Role in Literature and History, says: "Perhaps, however, it is a mark of a civilized, liberal society that it hugs and cherishes its defeats, dwells obsessively on the worst combat conditions and on casualties, and cannot forgive Field Marshal Haig for being victorious."

Haig in Popular Culture

Haig's tactics were a running joke on the BBC comedy series Blackadder goes Forth. Where Stephen Fry's role as the insane General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, with his vast moustache and callous disregard for the lives of his men, is clearly a popular caricature of Haig.

Reference


Preceded by:
Sir John French
Commander of the British Expeditionary Force
1915–1918
Succeeded by:
none


Preceded by:
New Creation
Earl Haig
Succeeded by:
George Haig
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