Douglas Haig was born in Edinburgh on 19 June 1861 and after studying at Oxford, entered the military in January 1884. He was an equestrian enthusiast and represented England at Polo.
At the outbreak of the South African War (1899-1902) he saw action at Elandslaagte and was with Lieutenant-Colonel French on the last train out of Ladysmith before the siege. As Lieutenant-Colonel he commanded a Cavalry Brigade and saw action at the battles leading up to the relief of Kimberley and the capture of Bloemfontein.
During the guerrilla phase of the war, with the rank of Brigadier-General, he was given a column of men, and was tasked with patrolling the northern Cape, chasing Boer commandos operating in the area. During the final weeks of the war, he was tasked with finding Boer General Smuts and escorting him to Vereeniging for the Peace Talks.
Haig’s father was the head of the family’s successful Haig & Haig whisky distillery.
