The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig
A balanced look at one of the most controversial commanders of World War I, using interviews with his son and new archival material to shed light onto an intensely private man

Posterity has not been kind to Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front for much of World War I. Haig has frequently been presented as a commander who sent his troops to slaughter in vast numbers at the Somme in 1916 and at Passchendaele the following year. This account reexamines Haig's record in these battles and presents his predicament with a fresh eye. More importantly, it reevaluates Haig himself, exploring the nature of the man, turning to both his early life and army career before 1914, as well as his unstinting work on behalf of ex-servicemen's organizations after 1918. Finally, in this definitive biography, the man emerges from the myth.

1119362013
The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig
A balanced look at one of the most controversial commanders of World War I, using interviews with his son and new archival material to shed light onto an intensely private man

Posterity has not been kind to Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front for much of World War I. Haig has frequently been presented as a commander who sent his troops to slaughter in vast numbers at the Somme in 1916 and at Passchendaele the following year. This account reexamines Haig's record in these battles and presents his predicament with a fresh eye. More importantly, it reevaluates Haig himself, exploring the nature of the man, turning to both his early life and army career before 1914, as well as his unstinting work on behalf of ex-servicemen's organizations after 1918. Finally, in this definitive biography, the man emerges from the myth.

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The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig

The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig

by Gary Mead
The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig

The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig

by Gary Mead

Paperback

$22.95 
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Overview

A balanced look at one of the most controversial commanders of World War I, using interviews with his son and new archival material to shed light onto an intensely private man

Posterity has not been kind to Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front for much of World War I. Haig has frequently been presented as a commander who sent his troops to slaughter in vast numbers at the Somme in 1916 and at Passchendaele the following year. This account reexamines Haig's record in these battles and presents his predicament with a fresh eye. More importantly, it reevaluates Haig himself, exploring the nature of the man, turning to both his early life and army career before 1914, as well as his unstinting work on behalf of ex-servicemen's organizations after 1918. Finally, in this definitive biography, the man emerges from the myth.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781782392248
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Publication date: 12/01/2014
Pages: 528
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Gary Mead was a journalist for the Financial Times for 10 years and has worked extensively with the BBC. He is the author of The Doughboys: America and the First World War.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements x

List of Maps xi

List of Illustrations xii

Introduction: Neither Butcher nor Saint 1

1 Whisky Gentleman 13

2 Polo Field and Parade Ground 35

3 'The Long Long Indian Day' 56

4 'Hard Work in Hot Sun' 78

5 Chasing Boers 103

6 'One of the Most Fortunate Officers' 125

7 An Army Equipped to Think 152

8 'This War Will Last Many Months' 178

9 'There Are Spots on Every Sun' 201

10 The Somme 231

11 Passchendaele 272

12 Victory 318

13 Of Politics and Poppies 352

14 'Cause to Reverence His Name' 374

Afterword 400

Notes 407

Bibliography 477

Index 488

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