His service saw him showered in praise, earning him several mentions in despatches, an appointment to the role of Companion of the Order of the Bath and a promotion to the role of lieutenant colonel. As per the norms of the time, he burned farmsteads as part of a scorched earth policy and rounded up Boer women and children to send to British-run concentration camps. Haig escaped the town of Ladysmith on the last train before it was besieged by the Boers, and went on to command a cavalry brigade, and later an all-arms force and column. It has become known as one of the most destructive wars fought by the British: the brutal conflict saw the implementation of scorched earth policies and the introduction of internment camps (also referred to as concentration camps) with extremely high mortality rates. The Second Boer War erupted in 1899 after diamonds and gold were found on Boer land in South Africa. Image Credit: National Library of Scotland / Public Domain 3. Photograph of the young Douglas Haig as an officer with the 7th Hussars. He was promoted to the position of brevet major on his return to England in 1898. Haig was, at least in part, there to report on Kitchener, who he had plenty of criticism for. He saw plenty of action and commanded a squadron of his own, launching several important attacks and offensives. In 1898, he was hand-picked to join Lord Kitchener in a campaign in the Mahdist War in Sudan: Haig was required to join the Egyptian Army (a formality) in order to serve. He eventually earned a promotion to captain before returning to England. In his early years as an officer, Haig was stationed in India. He travelled a lot in his early years as an officer He passed – placing first in the order of merit – and was commissioned as a lieutenant into the 7th Hussars in February 1885. He decided to train as a British Army officer at the military academy, Sandhurst, following his final exams. He studied in Scotland, Clifton College in Bristol and later at Brasenose College, Oxford.Īt Oxford, Haig showed sporting prowess and was a member of the infamous Bullingdon Club. He had a privileged upbringingīorn in Edinburgh, the son of a whisky baron and gentry, Haig had a thorough education. Here are 10 facts about Douglas ‘Butcher’ Haig. However, Haig had a long and distinguished military career prior to World War One, and he continued to campaign for ex-servicemen long after he had retired. Unsurprisingly, his legacy has been somewhat mixed as a result. He presided over both the best and worst days of the war for the British Army, earning him praise as the ‘man who won the war’ as well as the nickname ‘Butcher Haig’. Field Marshal Douglas Haig’s name is inextricably linked to World War One: he headed up the forces on the Western Front for nearly 3 years, achieving monumental losses alongside, ultimately, victory.
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