George Haig, 2nd Earl Haig
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Personal details | |
Born | George Alexander Eugene Douglas Haig 15 March 1918 |
Died | 9 July 2009 Melrose, Scottish Borders, Scotland | (aged 91)
Resting place | Dryburgh Abbey 55°34′37.5″N 2°38′58″W / 55.577083°N 2.64944°W |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouses | Adrienne Thérèse Morley
(m. 1956; div. 1981)Donna Gerolama Lopez y Royo di Taurisano
(m. 1981) |
Parent |
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George Alexander Eugene Douglas Haig, 2nd Earl Haig,
Early life
In 1937 he was a Page of Honour to George VI at his coronation. He was educated at Stowe School and at Christ Church, Oxford, receiving a BA in 1939 and a MA in 1950.
During
Later life
Haig was involved with charities that provided for ex-servicemen founded by his father. He was chairman of the
In 1977 he was dubbed a
In September 2006, Earl Haig criticised the Ministry of Defence's decision to posthumously pardon all 306 British soldiers executed during World War I for cowardice, desertion or other offences. In reference to the soldiers pardoned, he stated that "It was a terribly sad situation and some of these soldiers were genuinely shell-shocked. But many were rogues, persistent deserters and criminals, or they were guilty of cowardice. They had to be made an example of." This remark drew criticism from Andrew MacKinlay MP, who had campaigned for the pardon and was reported as "astonished" by Earl Haig's remarks, claiming that they had not received due process.[2]
Death
He died on 9 July 2009 at
Family
Earl Haig married, on 19 July 1956, Adrienne Thérèse Morley (4 May 1929 – 3 January 2010), daughter of Derrick Morley, formerly of Islanmore and Rockstown Castle, co. Limerick (great-great-nephew of the 1st Baron Fermoy), by Lesley, eldest daughter of Sir Nigel Leslie Campbell, of Woodrow High House, Amersham, Buckinghamshire (grandson of Lord Charles Pelham-Clinton),[5][6] and had three children:
- Lady Adrienne Raina Haig,
- Lady Elizabeth Vivienne Thérèse Haig,
- Alexander Douglas Derrick Haig, 3rd Earl Haig.
The Earl and Countess Haig were divorced in 1981 and, on 24 March 1981, he married Donna Gerolama Lopez y Royo di Taurisano (of the Neapolitan Dukes di Taurisano e Monteroni). She died on 15 April 2023, at the age of 85.[7]
Publications
- My Father's Son (2000), memoir.
References
- ^ 'My Father's Son', Dawyck Haig (Pub. Leo Cooper, 2000).
- ^ Condron, Stephanie (5 September 2006). "Haig's son attacks pardoning of 306 soldiers shot for cowardice". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Earl Haig dies at the age of 91". BBC News. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "Death of Dawyck, Earl Haig". Great War Forum. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Burke's Irish Family Records (London: Burke's Peerage Ltd., 1976), p. 658.
- ^ Pirie-Gordon, H., D.S.C., F.S.A. (ed.), Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th edition (London: Shaw Publishing Co., Ltd., 1937), p. 342.
- ^ "Countess Gerolama (Bemersyde) Haig". The Times. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Haig
- – Earl Haig – Daily Telegraph obituary
- Tirbutes paid to Earl Haig. BBC News
- Profile