Although, Source A does show that Haig did care about his men to some extent, due to the fact he doesn’t say that he doesn’t care. Being an experienced army General, Haig would be quite hardened towards death, seeing in a not so extreme light, as it is his job to be prepared for loses. Also, he is being a realist, in every battle there are loses, he may feel that he is sacrificing lives for a good cause. Haig wrote this Source with honesty, showing compassion and that he must care for his men not to lie about them. Haig was also a very religious man and would have been comfortable with the idea of sacrificing men for the good cause and sake of the war and his country.
Source B was written by Haig in two pieces, the first was written the day before the battle of the Somme and the second part of the Source was written on the day of the attack. The first part of the Source is inaccurate, as Haig claims that the barbed wire has “never been cut so well” this is not true as an extract from an interview with Private George Coppard says that “It was clear that there were no gaps in the wire”. George Coppard would have a greater understanding of the goings on in the battle, having been a survivor of the battle. The second part of the Source is also inaccurate because Haig was 40 miles behind the front line, he would be dependant upon receiving information via a messenger, this means he may have been misinformed by a messenger, as many messengers would be afraid to deliver negative information. Direct information could also not have been accessed either as the telephone wires had been cut. Haig claims that the battle “All went like clockwork” this is completely wrong as there were 60,000 casualties at the battle of the Somme on the day this Source was written, 20,000 of these deaths. Haig could be denying the truth in this Source, by trying to cover up his mistakes by written a positive review of the first day of the battle. Haig may have written this Source incorrectly for a purpose of boosting moral along the front line, as many men would not be aware of the situation along the whole front. This shows he may have cared for his men by trying to up their spirits.
In conclusion he is writing for a purpose in both Sources A and B, although for two different reasons. Source A was written for the purpose of informing the public to be “prepared to see heavy casualty lists” whereas Source B would have been written for the purpose of boosting moral. This in itself does not prove that Haig did not care for the lives of his men.
