Author appearing at The Black Watch Castle and Museum Book festival - Words of War

The Black Watch Castle and Museum Book festival - Words of War Programme

Review by Phil Culme

In Haig's Shadow is an informative and entertaining book to read. Furthermore, the excellent notes made by the editor provide valuable context throughout and, notwithstanding the variety of topics covered, the narrative flows freely and logically. Recommended.

Western Front Association

This book looks at the correspondence letters between Sir Douglas and his nephew Hugo de Pree, the book looks at the relationship between the two men which didn’t seem to receive much approval from Hugo de Pree’s more senior officers. The letters very much look at de Pree’s early military career along with explanatory noted on various battles, and looks at the context between then and the current or upcoming picture on the Western front. De Pree, a Brigadier General in France was a military strategist and was responsible for planning at the Battle of Canbrai and the German defensive in 1918.

I should say that I don’t have a high opinion of Sir Douglas Haig, but I have reviewed this book without allowing my opinion affect my review. This is quite an interesting book, although the two men are family members, because of their roles in life it does make interesting reading. With them having a close connection, I think this helps because there is a relaxed look at these letters and this in my opinion comes across in the book, after all your more likely to tone down and criticism if there is a personal connection. I would say that if you are into military planning especially in the First World War you would find this book a fascinating read. I loved the writing style, it was like reading a diary and this was the best way for the book to be written. Excellent use of primary sources. This book is an excellent book edited by a leading historian, definitely a recommended book.

5 stars

Read the full review here

UK Historian

A good read for anyone interested in WWI, or the British Army...

The NYMAS Review, Spring 2020

Cover to cover - a look at the latest Scottish books by Stephanie Abbot

Scottish Field, April 2020

The book is a further indispensable addition to the primary source records of the First World War and the activities of the Haig family.  In turn this is an extremely useful source for the history of the British army in the period of the Great War. 

Hugo de Pree was a nephew of Field Marshall Haig and this fresh compilation incorporates letters and other writings by both men, many of which are previously unpublished.  It contains much insightful wider family correspondence also. De Pree was a career soldier who ultimately was to play an important part in the planning of the Battle of Cambrai, but was later controversially sacked as a brigade commander, later to take command in another brigade. 

A very useful preface and acknowledgements is written by Gary Sheffield, the authority on Douglas Haig, who edited the book. This gives a very useful overview of how the book has been pulled together. He states that although he knew De Pree was related to Douglas Haig, by skimming through the letters and papers he realised that De Pree was a ‘very interesting and significant character in his own right’. 

Jon Sandison

While this work is specific to the two named individuals, it does provide some interesting and engrossing accounts.

Very interesting. 8/10

The Great War magazine, January 2020

In Haig’s Shadow is an informative and entertaining book to read. Furthermore the excellent notes made by the editor provide valuable context throughout and, notwithstanding the variety of topics covered, the narrative flows freely and logically. Recommended.

Read the full review here

Phil Curme

The letters contained in this book, corroborated by other letters and the description of the battle of Cambrai written in the 1930s by De Pree, show a little known figure, grown in the shadow of his illustrious relative, Douglas Haig. But they also give us a vision of a whole maze of human relationships and affection that is often overlooked in official stories. And this book shows us some figures as we have never seen them, in their weaknesses and their feelings, this is very important to complete an investigation into who was the Haig man and his nephew, Hugo De Pree.

Read the full Italian review here

Old Barbed Wire Blog