Gen Sir Brodie Haig gravestone in Grouville, Jersey

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Arthur Brodie Haig, (31 January 1886 – 9 February 1957) was a senior officer in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. A pre-war regular officer, he served in India prior to the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when he was posted to the Middle East. He was wounded at the

Battle of Shaiba The Battle of Shaiba (12–14 April 1915) was a battle of World War I fought between British and Ottoman forces, the latter trying to retake the city of Basra from the British. Background By capturing Basra, the British had taken an important ...

, twice

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

(MC), before he was taken prisoner by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

at the

Siege of Kut The siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000 strong British Army garrison in the town of Kut, south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. In 1915, its population ...

. Escaping captivity in August 1918, he received a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his MC. Haig returned to India after the war, holding a succession of staff appointments and command of a brigade. After the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was appointed Quartermaster General of Army Headquarters India and promoted to lieutenant general. He later became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command in India before his retirement in 1942.

First World War

Haig attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on the unattached list for the

on 18 January 1905. He was first attached to a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

regiment in India for a year then appointed to the

24th Punjabis The 24th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 24th Punjabis in 1861 and became 4th Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, i ...

, Indian Army on 19 March 1906.Indian Army List January 1919 He received promotion to lieutenant on 18 April 1907 and to captain on 18 January 1914. During the First World War, Haig served in Egypt from 18 November 1914 to 22 March 1915 and Mesopotamia from 7 April 1915 to 29 April 1916, when he was taken prisoner at the Fall of Kut. During this time he was wounded (on 14 April 1915 at the

), was

twice and was awarded the

and

. The Bar to his Military Cross was for successfully escaping from his

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp in August 1918. This was awarded 10 June 1920.

Return to India

Haig was appointed temporary major (for service in India only) on 14 September 1919, at the same time becoming a General Staff Officer (2nd grade) until 30 September 1920. He was re-appointed a General Staff Officer (2nd grade) on 1 April 1922 for the United Provinces district until 20 February 1923. He was appointed an instructor at the Staff College in Quetta on 21 February 1923 until 9 August 1926. Haig attended the Imperial Defence College in 1929, then was appointed brevet lieutenant colonel then promoted to substantive lieutenant colonel, which was confirmed on 10 February 1930. Haig was appointed commanding officer of the 4th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment on 10 February 1930.Brodie Haig at Generals.dk
/ref> Haig was appointed a temporary brigadier and substantive colonel on 4 June 1932, upon his appointment as Deputy Director of Staff Duties (and General Staff Officer Grade 1). He vacated this position on 25 October 1933 and was appointed to command the 7th Dehra Dun Brigade (retaining his temporary brigadier rank). Haig was appointed Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General of the Eastern Command on 28 February 1936, once more retaining the temporary rank of brigadier. Haig received promotion to major general on 6 June 1936 and ceased to be Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General on 27 April 1937. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

on 1 February 1937. Haig became colonel of the 4th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment on 9 July 1937 and the same year was appointed commandant of the Quetta Staff College.

Second World War

Haig was appointed Quartermaster General of Army Headquarters India and acting lieutenant general on 16 March 1940. This was confirmed as a substantive rank on 1 April that year. He became a full general on 10 May 1941 and was appointed Adjutant-General of India on 15 May. From October 1941 until June 1942, he was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 11 June 1942. He retired on 16 August 1942.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haig, Brodie 1886 births 1957 deaths Academics of the Staff College, Quetta Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Military Cross People from Kensington World War I prisoners of war held by the Ottoman Empire British World War I prisoners of war British escapees Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Commandants of the Staff College, Quetta British Indian Army generals Military personnel from London

First World War

Return to India

Second World War

References

Further reading

External links