3.7 How good a leader was Haig?
Douglas Haig led the troops at the Battle of the Somme and at many other key battles of the First World War. When the war started, Haig was already a highly respected military leader, as he had lots of experience of conflict across the globe. However, because the Battle of the Somme involved so much bloodshed, opinions about him are divided. The films on this page show Haig, and the nation's reaction to his death.
THE HINDENBURG LINE
0 MINS 48 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1914-1918
At Saint Quentin, France, Sir Douglas Haig and Colonel Robert S. Bacon of the United States inspect one of the numerous tunnels of the Hindenburg Line.
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LAST SALUTE TO EARL HAIG
0 MINS 39 SECS, SOUND, B/W, 1937
Whitehall, London. The Duke of Gloucester, Prince Henry, unveils a statue of Douglas Haig. The memorial is engraved with the following text: 'Field Marshal Earl Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British armies in France, 1915-1918.'
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EARL HAIG LIES IN STATE1 MIN 30 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1928
Earl Haig died on 30 January 1938. This film shows the lines of mourners filing in and out of St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in order to pay their respects to Haig, who was lying in state inside the cathedral.
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SCOTLAND'S FAREWELL2 MINS 53 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1928
Scottish soldiers march slowly through Edinburgh as Earl Douglas Haig's coffin travels to his final resting place - Dryburgh Abbey.
The coffin is carried by soldiers to the burial chamber, followed by Haig's family. We see the family as they watch the burial.