The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army

462 Pages·2011·3.14 MB·English

by  G. D. Sheffield

For John Bourne and Peter Simkins
with thanks for friendship, support and inspiration
Acknowledgements
I would like to the thank Lord and Lady Haig, and the rest of the Haig family,
especially Monica Scott and the late Douglas Scott. I would also like to put on
record my gratitude to Dawyck, Second Earl Haig.
Quotations from material held in the Royal Archives appear by gracious
permission of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Crown copyright material
appears by kind permission of The National Archives and Commonwealth
copyright material by kind permission of the Australian War Memorial.
I would like to thank the following for permission to quote from material for
which they hold the copyright:
Lord Haig (Haig papers)
The Trustees of the National Library of Scotland (Haig papers) Lord Kitchener
(Kitchener papers)
Liverpool Record Office, Liverpool Libraries (17th Earl of Derby papers) The
Trustees of the Royal Green Jackets Museum (Fuller papers) The Spectator
(Strachey papers)
The Master, Fellows and Scholars of Churchill College Cambridge (Hankey
Papers) Andrew Rawlinson (Rawlinson papers)
Parliamentary Archives (Lloyd George papers)
Bodleian Library (Asquith papers)
Bovington Tank Museum (Lindsay papers)
The Syndics of Cambridge University Library (University Archives) The
Trustees of the Imperial War Museum (Wilson papers)
National Army Museum (Ellison papers)
Professor Eugene Ryan (Ryan papers)
Joint Services Command and Staff College (various papers and Montgomery-
Massingberd papers) New College Oxford (Milner papers)
The Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives (Clive papers,
Grant papers, Howell papers, Kiggell papers, Maurice papers) Lord
Cholmondeley (Sassoon papers)
Mrs Joanna Butler (Butler papers)
Lord Esher (Esher Papers, copyright administered by Churchill College
Cambridge)
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders in the Price-Davies,
Boraston, Hedley, and Thompson papers held in the Imperial War Museum. Both
the author and the Museum would be grateful for any information as to the
current copyright holders. To anyone whose copyright I have unwittingly
infringed I offer my apologies and will seek to rectify the matter in later editions
of this book.
One of the last, but most rewarding parts of writing a book is to complete the
acknowledgements. It is a genuine pleasure to mention those people and
institutions that have supported me in writing this book. Some gave me specific
help, and others have contributed to the development of my understanding of the
British army in the First World War, and the role of Douglas Haig, over many
years. Yet others have simply been kind to me while I was writing the book. If I
named them all the list would be vast, so I hope any not mentioned here will
forgive me.
At the head of the list are Peter Simkins and John Bourne. I have dedicated
The Chief to them as a small tribute to all they have achieved as historians, and
in recognition of everything they have done for me – not least in discussing my
ideas and reading drafts of this book. Stephen Badsey has been kindness itself,
sharing unpublished work with me, reading drafts and being a sounding board
for ideas. Naturally none of this distinguished trio bears any responsibility for
remaining imperfections in the finished product. Saul David very kindly wrote a
flattering preface and has been hugely supportive of the project; as a fellow
Arsenal fan we have been suffering together in recent seasons. My colleague in
the University of Birmingham War Studies project Peter Gray has been a tower
of strength. Thanks are also due to Niall Barr, Jim Beach, Jonathan Boff, Brian
Bond, Bob Bushaway, Jeremy Crang, Bob Foley, David French, Bryn
Hammond, Simon Higgens, Spencer Jones, John Lee, Elspeth Johnstone,
Spencer Jones, David Jordan, Chris McCarthy, Helen McCartney, Stuart
Mitchell, Michael Orr, Bill Philpott, Andy Simpson, Michael Snape, Carolyn
Sweet, William Spencer, Kathy Stevenson, the late John Terraine, Rob
Thompson, Dan Todman, Ion Trewin, Tony Vines and Jamie Wilson. Two
doctoral candidates at Birmingham, Ross Mahoney and Michael LoCicero, were
exceptionally generous with their time in helping me with this book, both
indirectly and directly.
I have learned a huge amount from my students over the years. I would
especially like to thank my military students (and colleagues) on the Higher
Command and Staff Course; the students on the MA in British First World
Studies at the University of Birmingham; and my research students. I have
benefited greatly from the knowledge and insights of members of Birmingham
War Studies Seminar, the Western Front Association, of which I am proud to be
a Vice-President, and the British Commission for Military History. I would also
like to thank General Sir Nick Parker for inviting me to become Regimental
Historian of The Rifles, and the members of the regimental family for their
inspiration at many levels.
It has been a pleasure to be reminded of the worldwide community of scholars
working on the British army of the First World War. The Australian team of
Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson has set the agenda to a very large extent. In this
book I have disagreed with some of their arguments, (and elsewhere they have
disagreed with some of mine) but our disputes are always conducted with respect
and affection. Also in Australia Roger Lee deserves particular thanks, not least
for his excellent hospitality, along with Jeffery Grey and Peter Stanley. Thanks
are also due to Steve Gower, Ashley Ekins, Craig Tibbitts and the staff at the
Australian War Memorial, one of the world’s great museums and archives. I
have benefited greatly from the wisdom of New Zealand historian, Chris
Pugsley, currently based in the UK; and Canadian historian Tim Cook. In the
USA, Jay Winter has been extremely supportive. As the book neared completion
I was invited to lecture at the University of Southern Mississippi, and was able
to benefit from the input of Andy Wiest, a friend for nineteen years and
counting, and author of the best short biography of Haig. Andy and Jill, thank
you for your hospitality.
While putting the last touches to the book I heard the sad news of the death of
Richard Holmes. A very kind man, Richard had a huge and positive impact on
my career, and was a fine historian of the Great War. Military history, and the
lives of us who knew him, are poorer for his passing.
Of the many archivists, librarians and museum people who have helped me, I
would especially like to thank Alison Metcalfe (National Library of Scotland);
Pamela Clark and Allison Derrett (Royal Archives); Chris Hobson and his staff
(library of Joint Services Command and Staff College); Andrew Orgill and his
staff (library of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst); Simon Robbins and Rod
Suddaby (Imperial War Museum); Lianne Smith (Liddell Hart Centre for
Military Archives); Helen Langley (Bodleian Library); Allen Packwood and the
staff of the Churchill Archives Centre; William Spencer (National Archives);
and Richard Smith and his staff (Bovington Tank Museum).
The publication of this book was delayed by about a year through two factors
beyond my control. One was illness, and the other one wasn’t. Since 2009 I have
seen publishers at their best and worst. I will draw a veil over the latter, and
instead I’ll confine my comments to thanking the folk at Aurum Press: it has
been a pleasure to work with Graham Coster, Stuart Cooper and Barbara Phelan.
Barbara Taylor produced the excellent maps. As ever, thanks are due to my
literary agent, Simon Trewin, and his assistant at United Agents, Ariella Feiner.
Many thanks to my research assistant, Pam Cooper.
It is no exaggeration to say that this book would not have been completed
without the loving and long-suffering support of my family: my wife, Viv, to
whom I owe more than I can say; my daughter and son, Jennie and James, both
now young adults; my parents; and all the members of the Sheffield and Davis
clans, far too numerous to mention individually. In addition I owe so much to
our church family at Grove Parish Church and at the Cornerstone cafe for their
support, and also to Alan and Mandy Bird, who are everything that true friends
should be.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Saul David
Preface
Abbreviations
Maps: The River War: Egypt and the Sudan, 1898
South Africa: Theatre of Operations, 1899–1902
The Western Front, 1914–1918
Introduction: Douglas Haig: Incompetent General or National Hero?

1 Apprenticeship
2 Rising Star
3 Corps Commander
4 Grappling with Trench Warfare
5 Commander-in-Chief
6 Attrition
7 New Battles
8 False Dawns
9 Backs to the Wall
10 Victory
11 Veterans’ Champion – and Potential Dictator?
12 Haig the Soldier: An Assessment

Sources and Select Bibliography
Notes
Index
Copyright
Foreword by Saul David
Having written a life of Lord Cardigan of Balaklava fame, I am no stranger to
controversial generals. But surely none is more controversial than Douglas Haig.
While Cardigan is remembered for the destruction of the Light Brigade of 670
men, the carnage of the Somme and Passchendaele is laid at Haig’s door.
Conversely, Haig’s vital contribution to the great victories of 1918 that won the
First World War has been largely forgotten. Haig has attracted historians and
biographers like moths to a candle, and there is little in the way of consensus.
His detractors have essentially updated Alan Clark’s ‘Lions led by Donkeys’
school of thought of the 1960s with an impressive array of footnotes to sustain
their case; his supporters follow in the footsteps of the late John Terraine, who
saw Haig as one of the ‘Great Captains’ of history. So much has been written
about Haig, particularly over the last few years, that one might imagine the
debate at an impasse.
But, as Gary Sheffield shows in this masterly new biography, there is much
left to say. For the first time we are presented with a portrait of Haig ‘in the
round’. High command involves much more than generalship on the battlefield,
and by highlighting the sheer variety of Haig’s activities (involvement with
training and logistics, writing doctrine, dealing with allies and politicians)
Professor Sheffield makes a compelling case that Haig should be judged on more
than just his record as a commander in battle, important as that undoubtedly was.
Not that he ignores the battlefield. His account of the Battle of the Somme, for
example, is particularly original in that it demonstrates there was a real chance of
success on 1 July 1916. It was thrown away not on account of Haig’s
inadequacies but rather because of those of his principal subordinate, General
Rawlinson, who subverted his chief’s plan of operations. Perhaps the most
surprising aspect of the book is that Sheffield refurbishes Haig’s reputation as a
cavalry general. Haig never lost his faith in horsemen as an arm of mobility, and
Gary Sheffield shows that in the context of the Western Front this might have
proved critical.
A fine piece of work, The Chief is even-handed in its treatment of Haig, based