Douglas Haig and French Officer

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

37236

Title

Douglas Haig and French Officer

Description

One black and white photograph stuck down on a scrapbook page. Douglas Haig with an unidentified French Officer at the French Army Manoeuvres standing on an open expanse of land.

Date

1914

Type

Photograph

Location

Museum of Edinburgh

Accession number

HH4303-867a-81

Army manoeuvres were an occasion for an army to play out real life scenarios to give both the men and officers alike experience in fighting a war. Manoeuvres were crucial for the armies of Europe in working through the various ideas and techniques of how to fight. Quite often at these occasions, foreign observers would be present to witness first hand the ideas being showcased so as to ensure their own forces were aware of the latest developments. It was for this reason Douglas Haig would have been present at the French manoeuvres.

Douglas Haig was born in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh on the 9th June, 1861 to John Haig, the whisky distiller and Rachel Veitch. The young Douglas would spend the majority of his youth at the main family home of Cameron House in Fife before being educated at Clifton College, Bristol and then Brasenose College, Oxford.

Douglas Haig was commissioned into the 7th Hussars following his attendance the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, thus beginning a military career which would see several tours of India, action in both the war in the Sudan and South Africa before rising up the ranks to be posted as the head of the Aldershot Command prior to the First World War.

Douglas Haig went to war with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August, 1914 in command of the I Corps. In December of 1915 following Sir John French's departure Haig took up the post as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF.

After the war Douglas Haig retired from the army in 1920, was created the 1st Earl Haig and spent the rest of his life seeing to the well-being of ex-servicemen.

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Clothing and dress > Garments > Edwardian

Clothing and dress > Garments > Uniforms

People > Famous people > Field Marshal Earl Haig

People > Military activities > Soldiers

Places > Europe > France