A Young Douglas Haig

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

36834

Title

A Young Douglas Haig

Description

One small unframed sepia photograph of a Earl Haig when a small child aged about 3, holding a toy pistol. Haig is standing on a chair with one arm resting on a cushion. Haig has long blonde hair and is dressed in socks, shoes and a pinafore style dress.

Date

1864

Type

Photograph

Location

Museum of Edinburgh

Accession number

HH4303-500-81

A story in the Haig family recounts the time this photograph was taken. Supposedly, the young Haig refused to settle for the photograph unless he could hold his pistol.

Douglas Haig spent his youth at Cameron House in the village of Windygates in Fife. The small village also played home to his father, John Haig's Cameron Bridge whisky distillery, which John had established himself, though the family run business had a heritage dating back to the 17th century.

The young Douglas first attended private tuition at Mr Bateson's School in St Andrews before receiving tuition from Mr Oliphant at No.33 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. By this point the family had sold the Charlotte Square townhouse in which Douglas was born so Douglas was lodged with Miss Hepburn in Castle Terrace.

Douglas Haig was at age 15 sent to public school at Clifton College, Bristol in January, 1877 which he would attend until 1879. During the school holiday the young Haig would return to Fife and the family home of Cameron House.

In 1880 Douglas Haig began his studies at Brasenose College, Oxford and in 1883 was accepted to attend the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Upon completing his studies at Sandhurst, Haig was commissioned into the 7th Hussars, 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.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

People > Famous people > Field Marshal Earl Haig