SIR DOUGLAS HAIG

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2890, 30 September 1916, Page 11

SIR DOUGLAS HAIG

SOME IMPRESSIONS , By a Recent Visitor to the War, (From the London; "Times.") When history relates the story of the great battles of the Sommo, it will tell how Sir Douglas Haig and his Staff had their Headquarters in a modest dwelling, part of which was still occupied by the family who owned it. Thus it is that tho voices of children running up arid down the corridors minglo with the ceaseless murmur of the guns and the work of the earnest little company , of meii whose labours are never out of tho thoughts of their countrymen throughout the Empire. J .T-V. head of this baud of brothers, the Commander-in-Chief of an Army 1' ten times larger than that of the great V. Duke,;is Sir Douglas Haig, well known ■ to his troops from the. base, to the ■\ 1 front, though hardly known at all to A - the masses of his fellow-subjects at • \ Home. In'these days of instant 00111i ~V munication bv; telephone, dispatch rider, , . toleerjiph;. or. : wireless, a greater part of the- life of the Commander-in-Chief . is spent at his Headquarter offices. In ; times .of stress he rarely moves from them. Outwardly tho life of Sir Douglas Haig might seem , to be'that of sohie • ' great-Scotch laird who chooses to direct s his estates himself. . 1 ' , The Armoury of "A Flfer." , i At exactly five and twenty minutes past S each moriiing Sir Douglas joins his immediate Staff at the'usual in- . formal ' breakfast of-, English lil'e. • Though ho has selected his Staff witli--1 out fear or favour from the best ele-ments-of the British-Armies'that have been ' tried.;'for two- years' in the- field / ' there'is• something indefinably Scottish-! in the'atmosphere of his table; The ! V Commander-in-Chief is of an ancient . family.of. the'kingdom of Fife, so that' ( 1 the spear of pur British offensive is \tipped with that which is considered to be more adamant, than the granite of Aberdeen. Lithe and alert, Sir Douglas ■' . -is kilowh for his distinguished bearing ! and good looks. He has blue eyes and an unusual facial angle, dqlicately-chis-elled features, and a chin to be'reckoned , .with.. Tlifere is a characteristic movement of the hands when explaining, things. ; y Sir Douglas does riot waste words. It is not because lie. is silent or unsympa- .-, thetic—it is'because he uses .words as' he uses soldiers, sparingly, but always with method. When he is interested in his subject,'as in-talking of his'gratitude ' to' and ' admiration of . :,the new ; armies i and -their-" officers, or in. 'testifying' to 'the stubborn bravery of the German 'machine-gunners, it v is not difficult. to dis>jern from his accent that-lie is ; what' is known North of the Tweed as a Fifer. A .Fifer is one of'the many race types that, have helped to build' up-the Empire, - 1 ' and is probablr the best of all for dealing with the Prussian. First of all in . the .armoury of the, Fifer is-patience, ■ ■ " then cbmes oblivion to alloxte.rnal surroundings 'and pressure, with' a. supreme concent-ration.- 011 the object to do attained. Fifoshiro is the home of the national game of Scotland; and it • is -the imperturbability, of ' the Fifer that mak<;s him so difficult :to heat, in golf, in Vaffairs,. and in war. Behind the ddurness of the ; man of the East Coast is, the splendid'enthusiasm, that occasion sometimes demands, though there is Jio undue depression or elation at ah unexpected bunker or- an even - unusually fortunate round. His Dally Report. :.While-I was with, the little-family-party at Headquarters -there came news i that;was good.and some that was riot: , so good:. : Neither affected'the Com-' marider r in-Chief's - attitude towards the .war, or the day'^-iVof)j,--ln - the. r .degree whatever.! Thero are all sorts • - of minor criticisms of .Commander-. • in-Chief at Home, mianly because the majority of the .people know!,nothing ; about liim. -Ho is probably not interested in Home comments, but -is con- 1 cerned that the Empire should know ' '■ .of tlie unprecedented valour of ; his officers -and men. Consequently the doings of the Army aro put before the world each day with the'frankness that is part ,of Sir Douglas Haig's ' own •- ' character. ; Ho-is opposed, to'secrecy except where:military necessity occasions'it. 'He dislikes'secret reports on officers. Those who'visit him are treat-' i ed with groat candour arid there is always" a, suitable selection of -guests at Headquarters to bring variety to the meal times of thoso who are '.engaged 111 their all-absorbing-'tasks..,lf they ; are interested in any 'particular part of the organisation, medical,' transport, artillery, "strategy, .they've invited' to ask questions, and, if possible, to suggest. In'many large houses of business ' there is a suggestion-box' in -which the staff .or employees are invited to put' forward their ideas in writing. I do not know whether there is such an institution in the Army, but certainly all sorts of new ideas are discussed at the table at General Headquarters. ■ In every case, "Can, it be done?' 'takesprecedence of "It can't bo done." . ■ : Nor, despite the fact that tlia Com- ' mar.der-iu-Cliiaf is a, cavalry officer,, U ■■ does he show any obsessionwith' the arm' wiih which the.greater part of his military lifo lias, had 'jfco. deal. Sur-, rounded bv a group of , the best 1 experts our iSmpire cau'provide, most of whom have ha'd 24 months' war experience, he. is in conference with them from morning-till lato at night. During his daily exercise ride 110 has 0110 or other of his staff experts with him. The wonderful system of communication established throughout tlie length and breadth of his zone has linked up ' the whole military'machine so effectively that-information can bo gained instantly from most distant and difficult parts of his lino of operations, or communications. In the ante-chambers of the Commander-in-Chief's small work- ■ ing room the telephone is rarely si'eiit;. and a journey into many parts of his Army proved to me that out of the two years' "struggle have emerged men, awl often very young men, able to do the. Commander-in-Chief's bidding •or to \ furnish him with what 110 desires. Out ' of the necessary chaos-of a war that was unexpected,-save by the Army and ' a few prescient, students, luuro emerged -Armies in which Scottish precision , ■ and courage, English dash and tenacity,. Irish defiance and devotion, Aus- ' tralian and Canadian fierce gallantry all play their proper parts. Sir- Douglas "Haig is fifty-four .years of age. Many of his staff are greatly his junior, They are a grave and serious body of men who have inspired confidence from, one end of,the line to the other, Tliey are not' dull, there is plenty of familiar badinase at tho proper time. There is deep devotion and loyalty in their labours.