Painting showing Douglas Haig in uniform

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (1861 - 1928)

Douglas Haig

'Kill more Germans' summarised Haig's strategy as Commander in chief of the British forces in France during most of World War One. His war of attrition resulted in enormous numbers of British casualties and his leadership remains controversial.

As a young officer, Haig fought in the Sudan, in the Boer War and held administrative posts in India. From 1906-1909 he was assigned to the War Office, where he helped form the Territorial Army and organize an expeditionary force for any future war in Europe. When war broke out in August 1914, Haig led the 1st Corps to northern France. In early 1915 he became commander of the 1st Army before succeeding Sir John French as commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force in December.

In 1916 Haig was responsible for the Battle of the Somme, which cost 420,000 British casualties over four months for minimal gain. The next year saw further stalemate: the US entered the war in April but the French command wanted to stay on the defensive until the first of the Americans arrived. This frustrated Haig, who was subordinate to the French general Robert Nivelle. From May he was given more authority and determined to defeat the Germans with a purely British offensive. The resulting Third Battle of Ypres from July to November 1917 (also called Passchendaele) saw further enormous British casualties that shocked the public back home. Passchendaele failed to reach Haig's objective - the Belgian coast - but nonetheless succeeded in weakening the Germans and helped prepare the way for their defeat in 1918.

Supported by King George V, Haig believed that the war could only be won on the Western Front. This caused friction with David Lloyd George, Secretary of State for War and Prime Minister from December 1916. Unlike Haig, he thought that the war could be accelerated by attacking from the east. However, Haig remained in his post and from March 1918 succeeded in stopping the last German offensive of the war (March-July 1918), before showing perhaps his best leadership in the victorious Allied assault from August onwards.

After the war, Haig organised the British Legion and travelled throughout the British ...

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After the war, Haig organised the British Legion and travelled throughout the British Empire collecting money for former servicemen. He was created an earl in 1919.

"The nation must be taught to bear losses. No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders, no training, however good, on the part of the officers and men, no superiority of arms and ammunition, however great, will enable victories to be won without the sacrifice of men's lives. The nation must be prepared to see heavy casualty lists."

Written by Haig in June 1916 before the battle began

Douglas Haig was born on June 19 1861, the son of a wealthy whiskey distiller. He was educated at Oxford and Sandhurst.

He took part in the Omdurman campaign (1897 - 1898) and the Boer War (1899 - 1902). His rank remained inspector of general cavalry in India from 1903 until 1906, when he became director of military training at the war office. In 1909 he became chief of staff of the Indian army. At the beginning of World War One in 1914, Haig commanded the first Army Corps.

In December of 1915 questions were being raised about how well the war was being fought. On the 10th December a new commander of the British was appointed - Douglas Haig. He was 54 at the time and had a long a successful military career behind him. Even with his experience though, trench warfare was a new form of fighting, so he faced a difficult task.

In February 1916, Germany began a campaign against the French at Verdun. Five months passed, 700,000 men had become casualties, and the French were only just hanging on. The British decided they had the relieve the pressure on the French. The British high command, led by Field Marshal Haig began a major attack along the line of the river Somme, he hoped to lure the Germans away from Verdun. After another five months the British had captured little land. On the 18 Nov 1916, in the blizzards and snow Haig called a halt to the attack.

The battle of the Somme was one of the most bloody of the First World War, more British soldiers had been killed than in any other battle before it. It earned Haig the title 'Butcher of the Somme', after he unnecessarily sent thousands of British troops to their deaths.

He died in London on January 28th 1928.