As a young officer in the prestigious 21st Lancers (motto 'Death or Glory') Douglas Haig played a leading role in Kitchener's bold expedition which ended in the defeat of the Khalifa of Sudan at Omdurman. He described the action, as he did the whole campaign, vividly in words and diagrams which survived virtually untouched at the family home Bemersyde in the Borders. These letters and diaries allow the reader to trace Haig's career and developing character. What they reveal may well surprise his critics. Field Marshal Lord Haig will remain a hugely controversial figure due to his pre-eminent role during The Great War. He was a hugely popular public figure in the post WW1 years and revered by those who served under him. His death in 1928 was a major occasion for mourning. Only later was he heavily criticised for the slaughter of the trenches.

'Well written and persuasive ...objective and well-rounded....this scholarly rehabilitation should be the standard biography' - Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday 'A true judgment of him must lie somewhere between hero and zero, and in this detailed biography Gary Sheffield shows himself well qualified to make it ... a balanced portrait' - The Sunday Times 'Solid scholarship and admirable advocacy' - Sunday Telegraph Douglas Haig is the single most controversial general in British history. In 1918, after his armies had won the First World War, he was feted as a saviour. But within twenty years his reputation was in ruins, and it has never recovered. Drawing on previously unknown private papers and new scholarship unavailable when The Chief was first published, eminent First World War historian Gary Sheffield reassesses Haig's reputation, assessing his critical role in preparing the army for war.

This collection of correspondence and newly discovered family papers is “a good read for anyone interested in WWI, or the British Army” (The NYMAS Review). Hugo De Pree was the nephew of the better-known Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. However, De Pree had a distinguished military career in his own right. He served in the Boer War. He was sent to the Western Front, as Chief of Staff of IV Corps, and played a key part in planning the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. In 1918 De Pree was appointed to command 189 Brigade in 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. His part in the March Retreat showed that he was not a chateau general. In August 1918, he took the morally courageous decision to cancel his Brigade’s attack, fearing heavy losses for little gain. He was sacked, but after appealing was appointed to command a brigade of 38th (Welsh) Division, which he commanded with distinction in the last weeks of the war. Afterward, De Pree rose to Major-General and was the Commandant at RMA Woolwich. His son, John, was killed in 1942 when attempting to escape from a POW camp in Germany, a story told in this book by one of the leading academics in the field, which combines De Pree and Haig family papers with incisive commentary to give a multi-faceted insight into both an important but obscure senior officer of the First World War, and his hugely famous uncle.

Haig's Intelligence confronts a perennial question about the British on the Western Front: why did they think they were winning?

The First World War was a turning point in history. It marked the birth of the modern era and established the pattern for large-scale violence, devastation and genocide throughout the wars of the 20th century. Old empires disintegrated and new nations emerged in the maelstrom of the war and its aftermath. The peace settlements reshaped national boundaries, leaving tensions and rivalries between nation states and people that resonate to the present day. Historians continue to explore and challenge many assumptions and perceptions surrounding the conflict, from its origins and causes, to the responsibility for its conduct, the reasons for Allied victory over the Central Powers, and the consequences and long-term outcomes of that victory. This book is a collection of the latest research findings by scholars from a number of nations, many of them renowned specialists in their field. They gathered for an international conference, 1918 YEAR OF VICTORY, convened by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in November 2008 to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the war and to share their insights into issues surrounding the ending of the war, its memory and continuing impact. Lively, authoritative and wide-ranging, the chapters span the themes of war strategy and planning; the problems of raising, training and maintaining armies in the field; developments in technology and weapons systems; the role of command; the evolution of tactics and the use of combined arms; the development of war economies; and the exploitation of human and material resources in war on the home front, on land, at sea and in the air. CONTRIBUTORS Jay Winter Yale University, USA Robin Prior University of Adelaide, Australia Gary Sheffield University of Birmingham, UK Robert Foley University of Liverpool, UK Elizabeth Greenhalgh University of New South Wales, Australia Meleah Ward University of Adelaide, Australia Ashley Ekins Australian War Memorial Peter Pedersen Australian War Memorial Glyn Harper Massey University, New Zealand Tim Cook Canadian War Museum, Canada David Stevens Defence Sea Power Centre, Australia James Goldrick Australian Defence College Peter Hart Imperial War Museum, London, UK Trevor Wilson University of Adelaide, Australia Martin Crotty University of Queensland, Australia Stephen Badsey University of Wolverhampton, UK

A prevalent view among historians is that both horsed cavalry and the cavalry charge became obviously obsolete in the second half of the nineteenth century in the face of increased infantry and artillery firepower, and that officers of the cavalry clung to both for reasons of prestige and stupidity. It is this view, commonly held but rarely supported by sustained research, that this book challenges. It shows that the achievements of British and Empire cavalry in the First World War, although controversial, are sufficient to contradict the argument that belief in the cavalry was evidence of military incompetence. It offers a case study of how in reality a practical military doctrine for the cavalry was developed and modified over several decades, influenced by wider defence plans and spending, by the experience of combat, by Army politics, and by the rivalries of senior officers. Debate as to how the cavalry was to adjust its tactics in the face of increased infantry and artillery firepower began in the mid nineteenth century, when the increasing size of armies meant a greater need for mobile troops. The cavalry problem was how to deal with a gap in the evolution of warfare between the mass armies of the later nineteenth century and the motorised firepower of the mid twentieth century, an issue that is closely connected with the origins of the deadlock on the Western Front. Tracing this debate, this book shows how, despite serious attempts to ’learn from history’, both European-style wars and colonial wars produced ambiguous or disputed evidence as to the future of cavalry, and doctrine was largely a matter of what appeared practical at the time.

How much influence did notable wives have on the leading commanders in British military history? These women tend to be disregarded but, as Trina Beckett demonstrates in this revealing and thought-provoking study, their influence has often been profound. Taking examples from the eighteenth century to the Second World War, she uncovers a hidden dimension in the rise to prominence of some of Britains most famous soldiers and documents a series of fascinating relationships between powerful men and equally powerful women.Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and Dorothy, Countess Haig are perhaps the most famous examples of wives who played important roles in their husbands brilliant careers. However, sometimes the lives of leading commanders would be hindered as well as helped by their wives. Paulina Wood proved such a disastrous hostess that she almost destroyed the career of Sir Evelyn Wood, and Lord Roberts reputation for jobbery owed much to his wife Noras constant interference in appointments.Trina Becketts perceptive and absorbing case studies reveal much about the women whose lives she portrays and the contribution they made to their distinguished husbands military careers.

Posterity has not been kind to Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front for much of the First World War. 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. The Good Soldier re-examines Haig's record in these battles and presents his predicament with a fresh eye. More importantly, it re-evaluates 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.

‘Well written and persuasive …objective and well-rounded….this scholarly rehabilitation should be the standard biography’ **** Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday ‘A true judgment of him must lie somewhere between hero and zero, and in this detailed biography Gary Sheffield shows himself well qualified to make it … a balanced portrait’ Sunday Times ‘Solid scholarship and admirable advocacy’ Sunday Telegraph Douglas Haig is the single most controversial general in British history. In 1918, after his armies had won the First World War, he was feted as a saviour. But within twenty years his reputation was in ruins, and it has never recovered. In this fascinating biography, Professor Gary Sheffield reassesses Haig’s reputation, assessing his critical role in preparing the army for war.

A distinguished soldier who had served in South Africa, the Author was selected to be Haig’s Director of Operations in 1915, a key position he held until the end of the War. This book concentrates on the dramatic events of 1917 and 1918 and covers Third Ypres, the German onslaught (Kaiserschlacht), and the victorious 100 Days. We learn of the parlous state of the French Army, their loss of morale and the widespread mutinies. Tavish Davidson’s viewpoint on the conduct of operations was unique and we learn of the factors at play in Haig’s HQ. The German U-Boat fleet’s ports became a high priority as losses of shipping mounted, threatening the whole war effort. We get the German perspective – Passchendaele 1917 was even more costly for them than the Allies. Davidson comes down wholeheartedly on Haig’s side but this should not be a surprise as Haig was revered by his officers and men. It only became fashionable to pillory him much later. This is an important addition to the bibliography of the Great War.