Tales of Sir Douglas Haig.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 165, 14 April 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

Tales of Sir Douglas Haig.

A HATCH OK GOOD STORIES AIJOIT THE NEW COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH ARMIES IN FRANCE.

I cannot speak too highly of ihe valuable services rendered by .Sir Douglas Haig," said Field-Marshal Sir John French in his dispatches describing the battle of the Aisne. This war has been our new commander's big chance, and he has seized it 60 well that he has added enormously to his already great reputation. The Aisne, Ypres, ai.d Ncuve Chapelle all showed Sir Douglas to be "a leader of great ability am.' power," in Sir Jenn French's words.

him " Lucky Haig ''in the Army—that also failed to explode. Sir Douglas was wise enough not to trust too much to luck, and he tock up a safer position. Hacj either shell exploded, both officers would have been blown to pieces. On another occasion, a few days before Prince Maurice of Battenbcrg was killed, the Germans got wind that Sir Douglas used a big barn as one of his quarters. A she'l fell on that barn and nine men were killed. General Haig had only been out of the building a short time, and if the Germans had only got their news an hour or so earlier We should have had to look for another commander.

Sir Douglas Haig and Sir John French have worked together for many a long year, and it ,s due to the late Commander-in-Chief that his successor has had the opportunities to show his brilliancy. A.s Major Haig, Sir Douglas was Chief of Staff to Colonel French, and was at Elandslaagtc, Colesberg, the relief of Kimberley, Paardeborg, and Belmont during the Boer War. On tiie day when General Cronje surrendered at Paardeborg, General Haig had an extremely narrow escape. He was crossing the Modder river, swot Jen by rains, wnen ins horse reared and fell, flinging his rider into the water. An olhcer dashed to the rescue, but his horse in turn fell and botli men found themselves struggling 111 the trappings of their animals. By the greatest of good luck, each rider managed to get clear auc.' swam, horoughly exhausted to the bank. J lie name of the other officer was General French!

Sir Douglas Haig always makes a point, like Sir John French, of looking aftrr the comfort of his men, am. 1 it is a habit of his to wander about the camps at odd times to soe that everything is in order. In this connection he relates a good story. As he was strolling past a tent he heard the angry voice of a sergeant threatening what he would do to an unfortunate private who had disobeyed orders.

"It's lucky for you, my lad," n .red the N.C.0., "that I'm not sure how to spell 'insubordination,' or else I'd' renort von!"

Tlii? new .British commander always thinks of others before himself, not only as regards the soldiers under him, hut the civilians with whom he conies in contact. In this connection an interesting story is told of him. After the battle of the Maine Sir Douglas suffered agonies from toothache, and was obliged to telegraph to Paris for an English dentist. The latter, on his arrival at the General's quarters, quickly discovered the t..use of the trouble, an abscess, and 1 decided to extract the tooth. But Sir Douglas Haig, on learning that the dentist had not lunched, insisted, despite the terrible pain from which he was suffering, on waiting another hour, while the. dentist had his meal, before he would allow him to operate. To some people Sir Douglas' surname spells a very happy prophecy, for xiie initials read: H oil A rrivc 1 n Germany. That, at any rate, is one war prophecy which is more certain than any other to come true. Sir Douglas Haig is one of the youngest generals in the British Army, ana looks even younger than lie is—fiftyfour. In any emergency he thinks quickly and always on the right lines, and, however, much things may be going wrong, lie has never been known to lose his temper. He is, indeed, as complete a master of himself as he is of bis men. To those who know him well General Haig's chief quality is an intense love of truth. He never shirks telling tne truth, however unpleasant it may be, nor clces he like people who try to smooth over disasters and troubl >s. Another side of his character .s tro extraordinary affection he insp-.\-s in all those around him. He has 3112 ot the most charming of smiles and 1 :i;uun<?r which puts everyone at evse who talks with liini. The Army to man not only respects him as a gre.it 10:11inander, but loves hi 111 for the very human side of his nature.

That was not the first time that the British Army nearly lost Generai Haig's services, for long ago when he had passed the examination foradmission to the Staff College he was refused admission because the medical hoard taid he was suffering from colour blindness. Fortunately, however, his ease was brought before the late Duke of Cambridge, who appointed him to the College direct, thus freeing him from examination. Absolutely fearless, General Haig has had many a narrow escape on the battlefield. 'in the Sudan Campaign of 1888 tlie General was with i.ord Kitchener, who entrusted him with a lot of the necessary scouting before the battles of Atbara'anc Khartoum. On one occasion he and three others came across a big zareba—a fortified in. closure of thorns and spiked palisading —big enough to bide an army. As the zareba was in the way of the British advance it was necessary to find out approximately what was behind that tnorny defence in the desert. General Haisr calmly rode within three hundred paces and sat his horse, noting the Dervishes within, though a fusilade of bullets from Arabs' muskets was fired' in his direction, lie escaped by a miracle, and was able to give Lord Kitchener information vital to the success of the dash lor Khartoum. . The new commander is adored by Jus men, not only for his reckless courage, but because he never asks them to do anvthing he is not prepared to do himself first. A " Thank God"' literally ran down the British lines in the early dajs of the fighting in Flanders when it was learnt that their commander liao had a miraculous escape from being blown to pieces bv a German shell. The story is this. Sir Douglas and a fellow-officer were watching the progress of an action from the top of a haystack. Somehow or other, in tTio uncanny way they have, the Germans got to know this, and suddenly a shell dropped clean on the haystack without, however, exploding. Before the two officers had time to recover from the shock another shell dropped, and by sheer luck thej call

Sir Douglas comes of a great lighting family, liis ancestors having ft>ii«iit on historic battlefields for many ce'ituries pa-t. Ho is ;i big landowi i in Fife.