Primary Documents - Sir Douglas Haig's Despatches as British Commander-in-Chief, 1916-19
When Douglas Haig was
appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Armies operating in France and
Flanders in December 1915 (succeeding
Sir John French)
he was expected to follow in the tradition of his predecessors with the
periodical submittal of despatches from the Front, each detailing the
progress of his armies' campaigns since the last such report.
Haig thus ensured delivery of eight despatches covering British operations from December 1915 until the war's close in November 1918. The text of each is (or will be: this section is currently in preparation) reproduced below.
In 1919, amid the welter of war-related memoirs produced in the conflict's aftermath, Haig was persuaded to republish each of his despatches in book form for the first time (they were issued as Supplements to the London Gazette during wartime).
Consequently towards the end of 1919 Sir Douglas Haig's Despatches was published by J.M. Dent & Sons, edited by his Private Secretary J.H. Boraston. Along with a preface from Haig himself a fulsome introduction - intended to accompany the French translation of the work - was written by the former Allied Supreme Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch. The text of both are similarly included below.
| Article | Description |
|---|---|
| Preface by Sir Douglas Haig | Written to accompany 1919 publication of despatches |
| Introduction by Ferdinand Foch | Marshal Foch's tribute to Haig, written in 1919 |
| Despatch 1 - St Eloi Operations | Published 19 May 1916 |
| Despatch 2 - Somme Offensive | Published 23 December 1916 |
| Despatch 3 - Retreat to Hindenburg Line | Published 31 May 1917 |
| Despatch 4 - Campaigns of 1917 | Published 25 December 1917 |
| Despatch 5 - Cambrai Operations | Published 20 February 1918 |
| Despatch 6 - Great German Offensive | Published 20 July 1918 (not yet published online) |
| Despatch 7 - Advance to Victory | Published 21 December 1918 (not yet published online) |
| Despatch 8 - Final Despatch | Published 21 March 1919 |
"Toc Emmas" was slang for trench mortars.
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