Earl Haig Dead

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 266, 31 January 1928, Page 1

Earl Haig Dead

STRAIN OF WAR TOO GREAT To Be Buried in St. Pauls British Wireless—Press Assn.—Copyright Received 1.0 p.m. RUGBY, Mondav FIELD-MAR bHALL LARL HAIG diet! of heart disease to-dav at his London residence.— riie great strain ol the war is understood to have been the cause of his death. Expert medical opinion holds that a muscle of the Field-Marshal’s heart had grown older than the heart itself, through the strain, and had collapsed.

HAIG had come from Edinburgh to London to spend the week-end, and to attend a gathering of boy scouts on Saturday afternoon. He had consulted a doctor about his health before leaving Scotland and was to proceed shortly to the Riviera. He collapsed while undressing at midnight last night at the home of his brother-in-law in London, and died soon afterwards. Earl Haig was 66 years of age. Hundreds of messages of codolence have been received by Lady Haig during the day. It is expected that the deceased Field-Marshal will be inetrred in St.

Paul’s Cathedral, where the Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Lord Roberts and Lord Wolseley, and other great soldiers are buried. It is considered possible that Marshal Foeh will attend the funeral, and it is also suggested that King Albert of the Belgians may do so. “BACKS TO WALL” MESSAGE Newspapers devote columns to-day to the man who led the British Army to victory in the greatest war of all time. His famous “backs to the wall” message which he Issued to the British troops in 1918, when the Germans launched their heavy offensive in the direction of Calais, is reproduced. The message startled his army as much as it heartened them, if only because it was the first time that their rather aloof commander-in-chief betrayed a touch of emotionalism. He wrote: “Many amongst us now are tired. To those I would say that victory will belong to the side which holds out the longer. There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man. “There must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and friends ana of mankind alike, depend upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment.” A tribute is paid to Earl Haig’s selfabnegation, when he consented to the Allied armies being placed under the united command of Marshal Foch.—A. and N.Z. STRIKING TRIBUTE M. Clemenceau says: “In my estimatiorf, Lord Haig was the best General Britain ever had, and his was the largest contribution toward the Allied victory.” M. Painleve sent a letter to the War Office, in which he says: “Accept the profound sympathy of myself and the French Army. Lord Haig was as popular in France as he was in England. Our army offers homage in recognition of the great qualities he showed in his glorious mission, and realises the part he played in the common victory.” Sir George Milne, colleague of Lord Haig in the Great War, telegraphed the Countess Haig on behalf of the Army Council, expressing profound sympathy in the irreparable loss of her husband, who was loved and trusted by all the armies of the Empire which he led to victory. Sir lan Hamilton cited Lord Haig’s recent inspection of Boy Scouts, and emphasised his making friends with the eager Wolf Cubs, adding:

“It was so like him. To-morrow he was going to adviscj the British Legion how best to help their distressed comrades. To-day his valiant heart has ceased to beat. Not now, when shock benumbs us, can pen be trusted to trace the footsteps of the wonderful career. Haig was never a man to parade anguish, either when under his orders men were falling in thousands, or afterwards. Haig always held his head high, and never faltered momentarily under the burden of worldwide responsibility which he endured for years. He preferred people to think he bad not done anything special. “Mussolini, when he recently met him, said he imagined he was going to see a careworn old gentleman creeping into the room. Instead, he found a vigorous young soldier. Haig repeated the remark, not because it tickled* his vanity, which was nonexistent, but because he felt his ai> pearance helped to maintain the assumption that lie had be€*n through nothing in particular. But his too human heart betrayed him in the

end. Now it heats no more. He was typical of the best side of the Scot. His special qualities were stability, simplicity, intense modesty and unfaltering generosity.” late Earl Haig was born in A Edinburgh in IS6I and was educated at Clifton and Brasenose College, Oxford. He first saw service w-ith the 7th Hussars in the Egyptian Army during the Nile Campaign of IS9B, and later in the South African War. His promotion was rapid, and in 1905, after holding the post of in-spector-general of cavalry in India, he was made major-general. The following year he was appointed a director at the War Office. His next appointment was that of Chief of the General Staff in India. ,In 1910 he was promoted lieutenantgeneral and two years later took over the Aldershot command. He was knighted in 1913. Sir Douglas Haig led the First Army Corps during the battles of Mons. Marne and Aisne, and at the first battle of Ypres. He was promoted general in December, 1914. for distinguished service. In 1915 he was given the command of the First Army and at the end of the same year succeeded Sir John French as Com-mander-in-Chief. In 1919 he was created Earl Haig and received the Order of Merit as well as a grant of £IOO.OOO. He is succeeded by his son the Viscount Dawick.