Haig near Pretoria, 1900.

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

37630

Title

Haig near Pretoria, 1900.

Description

Douglas Haig seen mounted on a grey horse near Pretoria, in the Transvaal Republic on Friday the 8th of June, 1900.

Date

1900

Type

Photograph

Location

Museum of Edinburgh

Accession number

HH4303/696/81

Douglas Haig travelled out to South Africa in the Autumn of 1899 as part of General John French's Brigade. Haig would first see action at the Battle of Elandslaagte on the 18th October 1899.

Following Elandslaagte, Haig and French were both in Ladysmith as the Boer began their siege of the city and only escaped on the last train out by lying on the floor as enemy fire peppered the carriages.

Haig was shortly made Deputy to the newly appointed Assistant Adjutant Colonel, the Earl of Errol.

In November of 1900 came the ceasing of normal war operations and the focus of the British switching to fighting an anti-guerrilla war and policing. The Cavalry Division was disbanded and Haig was made head of a mixed force responsible for policing the area of Johannesburg.

In January of 1901 Haig was put in charge of a column to patrol the Cape Colony.

Douglas Haig's performance during the Second Anglo-Boer War saw him promoted several ranks, made Colonel of the 17th Lancers and mentioned in dispatches. Haig was also made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (abbreviated to CB).
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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Animals > Mammals > Horses

Clothing and dress > Garments > Uniforms

Events > Wars > Campaigns and battles

Events > Wars > Wars

People > Famous people > Field Marshal Earl Haig

People > Military activities > Soldiers

Places > Africa > Africa