Roland Haig
Roland Charles Haig First World War | |
---|---|
Awards | Distinguished Service Order & 2 Bars Mentioned in dispatches x 5 |
Relations | Douglas Haig (cousin) |
Haig became second in command of the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment in January 1915, moving in the same position to the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in April. From May 1915 to May 1916 Haig commanded a division of mounted troops in 8th Division, before briefly commanding the III Corps Cyclist Battalion. In June he was given command of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, with which he fought in the Battle of the Somme and Battle of Passchendaele, in the latter of which he was wounded in late July 1917. Haig returned to service in October and in November was promoted to brigadier-general and given command of the 24th Infantry Brigade. He commanded the brigade during the German spring offensive. On 27 May 1918, during the Third Battle of the Aisne, Haig's headquarters was attacked and overrun by a German attack. He was heavily gassed but managed to escape. His injuries from the gas attack forced him to resign his command, and he saw no further service in the war. Haig retired from the army in 1923 and died at Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire, at the age of 80.
Early life
Roland Charles Haig was born in Kensington, London, on 1 February 1873, the son of the barrister and justice of the peace Charles Edwin Haig of Pen-Ithon, Radnorshire, and his wife Janet née Stein, whose family were the Haigs of Cameron House.[1][2][3] He was a cousin of the future Field Marshal Douglas Haig.[4] Haig was educated at Winchester College.[1]
Military career
Early service
Haig's first military service came on 6 September 1890 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the South Wales Borderers.[5] He only served briefly in the militia, resigning his commission on 4 March 1891.[6] Haig was later trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he passed out in 1894 to join the 16th Lancers.[1] He did so on 14 November, becoming a second lieutenant.[7] He served in the 16th Lancers until 1899, transferring to the 7th Dragoon Guards as a lieutenant on 4 October.[8] He was then promoted to captain on 17 January 1900.[1][9][10] He travelled with the 7th Dragoon Guards to South Africa, where he fought in the Second Boer War. He served in operations in the Orange Free State between April and May, when he moved to the Transvaal, where he participated in the captures of Johannesburg on 31 May and Pretoria on 5 June, and then fought at the Battle of Diamond Hill between 11 and 12 June.[1][9]
Haig later received the Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, Johannesburg, and Diamond Hill.[9] On 10 October 1903 he retired from the army, still a captain, to instead join the Imperial Yeomanry.[9][11] This came about because of the results of a serious hunting accident that left him unable to continue in the regular army.[12] Within the Yeomanry, Haig joined the Royal Bucks Hussars. For 1907 he also took up the role of master of the Radnorshire & West Herefordshire Hunt.[13][14]
First World War
In April 1907 Haig transferred as a captain to the 7th (Militia) Battalion of the
Haig commanded his mounted troops until May 1916 when he was made commander of the III Corps Cyclist Battalion, which he commanded for only one month. In late June Haig took part in the preparations for the Battle of the Somme, going to the front lines to ascertain the condition of the barbed wire in front of the German positions, and advising that more be done with artillery to cut it.[9][19] He was then promoted to lieutenant colonel on 4 July and on the same day given command of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment in the 25th Infantry Brigade of 8th Division.[9][20][21] The battalion had lost all its senior officers in the first day on the Somme, with a second lieutenant left in command.[22]
Le Transloy
The battalion spent the following two weeks behind the lines at Allouagne, reorganising the unit and absorbing new drafts of soldiers. It returned to the front line a week later, based in the old coalfields to the north of Loos.[20] The battalion spent most of its time in reserve; between 4 September and 11 September Haig was in temporary command of the brigade.[21] Haig's battalion was relieved from the front on 10 October, and two days later the Berkshires were moved, along with the rest of the division, back to the Somme.[23][24] The battalion arrived at Doullens on 16 October, went into reserve on 19 October, and went into the front lines on 22 October.[24] Haig's battalion then fought at the Battle of Le Transloy on 23 October, serving in support of the centre of the brigade's line, in an attempt to capture a strong series of German trenches covering Le Transloy and Beaulencourt.[25][26]
After suffering high numbers of casualties from artillery bombardment, Haig began to send his companies forward to reinforce the attacking battalions. The German trench facing them was heavily defended and was still holding at nightfall, when Haig called off further attacks. At 3:50 a.m. on 24 October the Berkshires went in the first wave of a new attack on the trench (named "Zenith"), but the mud hindered them and they retreated under heavy rifle and machine gun fire at 4:30 a.m. The battalion stayed in the line until 26 October when they were relieved.[27][28] 8th Division was placed in reserve on 2 November, being criticised for failing to capture Zenith trench.[29]
Bouchavesnes
Haig's battalion reorganised itself at
At around 8 a.m. German counter attacks began, and communications with the attack began to deteriorate. Haig therefore went forward himself at 5:30 pm, organising men to fill gaps in the front line between established units. Having ensured that the newly captured ground could be held, he returned to his headquarters. The Berkshires successfully defeated the German counter attacks and by 6 March the area was secure; Haig's battalion was relieved on the same day.[35][36] In reserve they received the congratulations of the Commander-in-Chief, Douglas Haig.[36]
Advance to the Hindenburg Line
The British began to advance when the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg Line soon afterwards, and the Berkshires moved up to Hennois Wood on 26 March. The retreating Germans left behind a rearguard at Sorel-le-Grand nearby, and on 30 March the battalion attacked the position, successfully capturing it while seeing very little of the enemy.[37][38] Continuing the advance, on 4 April the battalion launched an attack in conjunction with 20th Division on Gouzeaucourt Wood, near Metz-en-Couture. The battalion attacked through heavy snow with artillery support and successfully assaulted the German positions, and by daybreak Haig was able to go forward and establish defences on the edge of the wood. Haig was especially pleased with the attack, writing that the loss of twenty men killed was "not excessive, considering the difficulty of the attack, the snow, and the amount of ground gained".[39][40] The battalion was relieved in the night of 5 April.[41]
The following two weeks saw the Berkshires in reserve, helping to clear roads of obstacles; the Germans had attempted to destroy and block the routes of advance that the British might have used. Haig's battalion returned to the front on 16 April in Gauche Wood near Villers-Guislain, which was still held by the Germans. On 18 April Haig was detailed to support an assault on the village by another brigade, and he sent out parties of machine gunners to assist in such. By 7:30 a.m. the village had been captured, and Haig's units had joined up with the attacking force having suffered very light casualties. The battalion was relieved later in the day to rest at Heudicourt.[42] After this the Germans fully retreated to the Hindenburg Line, and the British advance faltered. 8th Division was moved from the Somme to go to Belgium.[43]
Ypres
Having spent the intervening period in reserve and in supporting a small attack on
to his DSO on 18 June. The citation read:For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of his battalion during an attack on the enemy's position. The success of this attack was due to the ability and energy with which he trained his battalion, made his preparations and handled the troops under his command during the battle.[45]
The Berkshires entered Ypres on 5 July, serving in dugouts under the walls of the city. They entered the trenches a day later, but after an uneventful few days the battalion was taken out of the line for rest between 9–10 July.[46][47] One company stayed behind for a night raid on Hooge on 11 July. Haig led this raid, made up of 168 men, entering the German trenches at around 1 a.m. and destroying a hastily set up enemy machine gun position. The raid was finished in forty-four minutes, having captured one prisoner and killed between seventy and eighty enemy soldiers.[47][48][49] Haig wrote that "all things considered, the attack went very well, though there was some wavering when the enemy threw bombs, which they did from dugouts and shelters".[46]
The battalion was afterwards sent to
Haig left the battalion under the command of his adjutant with whom they advanced until pinned down by counter attacks and heavy return fire, with units on the flanks of 8th Division failing to make the headway required to support it.[Note 1] Haig never returned to his battalion, as some time early on in the day he was wounded by a bullet in the right thigh and evacuated to the rear.[50][9][52][53] He was relieved of his command and sent home to recover.[9][52][53]
24th Infantry Brigade
Haig returned to the
German spring offensive
The brigade entered the front line, having been in a period of rest and training, on 25 December, at Passchendaele.[57] The brigade was then brought into action to defend against the German spring offensive in March 1918, being the first part of the division to reach their positions near Eterpigny on 23 March.[58] The position was attacked heavily as part of Operation Michael, and by 25 March Haig had been forced to partially withdraw, making his new headquarters at Ablaincourt.[59] 8th Division was given a line to defend between Chaulnes and Estrées, which was attacked in force by the Germans on 26 March. The division, with 24th Brigade one of two in the front line, repulsed the attack with heavy losses, but was forced to continue retreating because they were at risk of being cut off from the rest of the army, which had moved further back. The division moved to a line near Rosieres, where it was heavily attacked at 8 a.m. on 27 March.[60][61] The Germans managed to penetrate the right of the division's line, but were pushed back in a counter-attack by Haig's Sherwood Foresters, after which the front around them stabilised.[62][63][60]
Despite this the division was again at risk of being cut off because of failures to hold in other parts of the army, and on 28 March they fell back to between
Villers-Bretonneux
Haig's brigade returned to the front line on 20 April, north of Villers-Bretonneux which was where the German advance had been halted.[63][65] On the morning of 24 April the Germans launched an attack on the British positions that became the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux.[63][66] By midday the Germans had successfully pushed the British out of the village, but British successes to their flanks meant that the new defenders of the village were surrounded, with the original British front line being restored at 4:30 a.m. on 25 April. Units of 8th Division were sent to clear the village, and by the end of the day had succeeded in this. They were brought out of the line on 27 April.[67]
8th Division had received very high casualties in the aforementioned fighting, and it was one of the divisions subsequently taken out of the line and moved to a quieter sector of the front. They left on 3 May for Champagne, where a confusion with the French commander in the sector meant that the British troops went straight into the front line. 8th Division was placed between La Ville-aux-Bois and Berry-au-Bac.[68]
The Aisne and final wounding
The British positions were 2,000 yards in front of the
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a long period of active operations. On one occasion, when there was danger of a line giving way, he rode forward, regardless of personal danger, and re-established it. His great courage and untiring energy set a splendid example to all officers and men.[78]
Haig saw no more active service during the war having, as well as his DSOs, been mentioned in dispatches on five occasions. Back in England, he was given command of the 5th Cyclist Brigade in Kent on 21 June.[1][79]
Retirement and death
Haig continued to command the 5th Cyclist Brigade after the war. He moved to command Number 1 Sub-District in the Midland District of the
Family
Haig married Geraldine Dorothy Kerr-Pearse, daughter of the Reverend Beauchamp Kerr-Pearse of Batts Park in Somerset, and granddaughter of the member of parliament Richard Samuel Guinness, on 20 April 1889. Together they had two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son, Rupert, was killed in 1942 while serving in the Royal Air Force.[2][82][83][84]
Notes and citations
Notes
- ^ The battalion stayed in the line in very muddy and poor conditions, relieving other units that had been heavily engaged. They in turn were relieved late on 1 August, having lost twenty-seven men killed and 108 wounded, including Haig.[50]
- ^ In early January 1918 brigades were reformed so that they would have three rather than four battalions, and Haig's brigade lost the East Lancashires to the 25th Infantry Brigade.[56]
- ^ 8th Division, according to military historian Ian Cull, had "for all practical purposes...ceased to exist".[73]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Parkyn (1954), p. 116.
- ^ a b c Fox-Davies (1970), p. 845.
- ^ "Roland Charles Haig". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Pulsifer (2002), p. 54.
- ^ "No. 26085". The London Gazette. 5 September 1890. p. 4832.
- ^ "No. 26140". The London Gazette. 3 March 1891. p. 1205.
- ^ "No. 26570". The London Gazette. 13 November 1894. p. 6346.
- ^ "No. 27122". The London Gazette. 3 October 1899. p. 6007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Creagh & Humphris (1924), p. 873.
- ^ "No. 27154". The London Gazette. 16 January 1900. p. 287.
- ^ "No. 27604". The London Gazette. 9 October 1903. p. 6151.
- ^ a b Bourne (2000), p. 75.
- ^ "No. 27606". The London Gazette. 16 October 1903. p. 6300.
- ^ Baily's Hunting Directory (1986), p. 95.
- ^ "Haig, Brig.-General Roland Charles". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Becke (1935), p. 46.
- ^ "No. 29111". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 March 1915. p. 2942.
- ^ Becke (1935), p. 94.
- ^ Thomas (2010), p. 167.
- ^ a b Cull (2005), p. 54.
- ^ a b Petre (2009), p. 82.
- ^ Mace & Grehan (2016), p. 324.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 57.
- ^ a b Petre (2009), p. 83.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 86.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 58.
- ^ Cull (2005), pp. 59–60.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 84.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 60.
- ^ a b c Cull (2005), p. 62.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 85.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 101.
- ^ Cull (2005), pp. 62–63.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 64.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 65.
- ^ a b Petre (2009), p. 86.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 66.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 87.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 67.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 88.
- ^ a b Petre (2009), p. 89.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 68.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 69.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 70.
- ^ "No. 30135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1917. p. 5979.
- ^ a b Cull (2005), p. 71.
- ^ a b Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 125.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 72.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 90.
- ^ a b c Cull (2005), p. 75.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 91.
- ^ a b Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 133.
- ^ a b Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 139.
- ^ a b LoCicero (2011), p. 5.
- ^ a b Thomas (2010), p. 231.
- ^ a b Thomas (2010), p. 274.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 167.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 178.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), pp. 182–183.
- ^ a b Cull (2005), p. 95.
- ^ Petre (2009), p. 101.
- ^ a b Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 189.
- ^ a b c d Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 296.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 97.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 99.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 100.
- ^ Cull (2005), pp. 100–101.
- ^ Cull (2005), pp. 102–103.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 220.
- ^ Cull (2005), pp. 104–105.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 105.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 225.
- ^ Cull (2005), p. 108.
- ^ Boraston & Bax (2001), p. 243.
- ^ Thomas (2010), p. 370.
- ^ Bourne (2000), p. 78.
- ^ Rogerson (2011), p. 51.
- ^ "No. 30813". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 July 1918. p. 8733.
- ^ Becke (1936), p. 21.
- ^ Sphinx (1921), p. 430.
- ^ a b Parkyn (1954), p. 117.
- ^ Parkyn (1954), pp. 116–117.
- ^ Hesilrige (1923), pp. 597–598.
- ^ Massue (1905), p. 632.
References
- Baily's Hunting Directory. Vol. 80. London: J. A. Allen. 1986. ISBN 0-85131-420-1.
- Becke, Major A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: ISBN 1-871167-12-4.
- Becke, Major A. F. (1935). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions. London: ISBN 1-871167-09-4.
- Boraston, J. H.; Bax, Cyril E. O. (2001) [1926]. The Eighth Division 1914–1918. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-189-4.
- Bourne, J. M. (2000). "Major-General W. C. G. Heneker: A Divisional Commander of the Great War". In Matthew Hughes; Matthew Seligmann (eds.). Leadership in Conflict 1914–1918. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-751-1.
- Creagh, O'Moore; Humphris, E. M. (1924). The V.C. and D.S.O. Vol. 2. London: Standard Art Book Co.
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- Fox-Davies, Charles (1970). Armorial Families. Vol. 1. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co.
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- LoCicero, Michael Steven (June 2011). A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2nd December 1917 (PhD). The University of Birmingham.
- Mace, Martin; Grehan, John (2016). Slaughter on the Somme: 1 July 1916. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-47389-269-9.
- Massue, Melville Henry (1905). The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal. London: T. C. & E. C. Jack.
- Parkyn, H. G. (1954). The Rifle Brigade Chronicle. London: The Rifle Brigade Club and Association.
- ISBN 978-1-847349-75-0.
- Pulsifer, Cameron (2002). "Death at Licourt: An Historical and Visual Record of Five Fatalities in the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, 25 March 1918". Canadian Military History. 11 (3): 49–64.
- Rogerson, Sidney (2011). The Last of the Ebb: The Battle of the Aisne, 1918. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-611-8.
- "Social & Personal". The Sphinx. 28 (456). 1921.
- Thomas, Alun Miles (2010). British 8th Infantry Division on the Western Front, 1914–18 (PhD). University of Birmingham.