Field Marshal Haig
"The chief"
Field Marshal Haig or Douglas Haig was born on June 19, 1861 in Edinburgh, Scotland as a descendant of the famous whisky Haig family, where his father led the company. At the age of 18, Douglas was orphaned.
The young man was an excellent rider and a very skilled polo player, who spent a lot of time in equestrianism during and after his studies at Oxford. In January 1884, Douglas started as an officer cadet at Sandhurst. A year later he joined the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars as a Lieutenant. During the service of the unit in India, the young officer stands out for his sense of discipline and analytical skills. During the Boer War in South Africa, he was commanding officer of the 17th Lancers. Douglas Haig was promoted in 1904 to be the youngest Major General in the British Army.
Involvment First World War
On August 4, 1914, the day the British Empire became involved in the First World War, he was one of the few to predict that the war would last a good while. Initially, he commands a British army corps. Douglas Haig was promoted in December 1915 to General Commander of the greatly expanded British troops on the Western Front, including the many British colonial troops. Along with the French army, the British fought a series of attritional battles, whereby both sides suffered huge losses. The battles of the Somme, Passchendaele (now Passendale) and Verdun are among the bloodiest of the entire war. In November 1918 this approach will force Germany to its knees.
Responsibility
Na de oorlog zullen sommige Britse politici, waaronder voormalig eerste minister Lloyd George, de verantwoordelijkheid voor de vele Britse oorlogsslachtoffers op Veldmaarschalk Haig proberen afschuiven. Als militair zijn de mogelijkheden van Haig om zich tegen deze aantijgingen te verdedigen beperkt. Eerder dan hierop te reageren, wijdt hij zich vanaf dan volledig aan het welzijn van de teruggekeerde militairen, onder andere door de oprichting van organisaties als het Royal British Legion Scotland en het Royal British Legion. Bij de begrafenis (1928) van “The Chief”, zoals Douglas Haig door zijn mannen waarderend genoemd werd, staan de straten volgepakt met tienduizenden rouwende veteranen. Het indrukwekkend afscheid vormt de meest overtuigende vingerwijzing aan de critici van de veldmaarschalk, al zou het nog negentig jaar duren vooraleer een brede beweging op gang zou komen om de reputatie van de man in ere te herstellen.