‘Lionsledbydonkeys’-Studyhistory.docVIP

‘Lions led by donkeys’ A German army commander once described the British army as ‘lions led by donkeys’. He admired the courage of ordinary British soldiers, but felt that many lives could have been saved had their generals performed their jobs more effectively. Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, was the most senior officer in the army. He was the Commander in Chief from 1915 to 1918. He, too, has been criticised for the way he managed the war and has been nicknamed, the ‘butcher of the Somme’ after the disastrous battle of the Somme in 1916 when tens of thousands of troops died. Is this criticism fair? Were the soldiers of the British army really lions led by donkeys? Biography of Haig Douglas Haig was born in Edinburgh 1861, the son of John Haig, who owned the famous whisky distillery. He went to Oxford in 1880, and then the prestigious Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1883. Haig was sent to India with his regiment in 1886 and while there worked his way through the ranks. He experienced active service in the several conflicts around the world in India, South Africa and the Middle East. He served under Lord Kitchener (the officer who appears on the famous British Army recruitment poster). When Haig became major-general he was the youngest officer of that rank in the British Army. Haig had a distinguished career in the early stages of the First World War and his courage and leadership skills were admired by fellow soldiers during the Battles of Mons and Ypres in 1914. Haig was promoted to full general and was given command of the British Expeditionary Forces in France and Belgium. Haig was severely criticised for his conduct of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 by people (including the Prime Minister at the time Lloyd George) who claimed his military tactics misjudged. After the war Haig became commander in chief of home forces until his retirement in 1921. Haig was given ￡100,000 by the British government and spent the rest of his life helping ex-se