There has been plenty published about Haig, some of it (I am thinking of David Lloyd George, Denis Winter and John Laffin in particular), being scathing of both the man and the way he directed the armies. Other than works published quite soon after the war or Haig's death in 1928, there was little by way of defence against this tide. John Terraine's 1963 "Douglas Haig - the educated soldier" stood alone for a considerable time until recent years in which there has been a flurry of revisionist work considering Haig in a more positive, rounded and research-based context. Most notable of this was the publication in 2005 of Haig's own diaries from the war period, edited by John Bourne and Gary Sheffield.

A factor that is often forgotten or wilfully ignored in the Haig debate is that he was seen as a most accomplished soldier by his contemporaries. He had a long military career before the Great War, much of which seems to be little understood today, including what was seen by the public as outstanding performance in the Sudan and South Africa. Perhaps only his fellow professional soldiers would appreciate his impact upon military organisation, training and operations. Without Haig, Britain would certainly not have been as prepared for war as it was to become by August 1914. The publication of Haig's own voluminous diaries and correspondence from the pre-war period is most welcome and helps fill many gaps. The editor, Douglas Scott, is Haig's grandson.

I have read a lot about Haig but found many new insights from this book, not only about his military thinking and his relationship with generals and "frocks", but of the man himself. In particular, it is known that he always took pains to keep himself fit and is sometimes seen as something of a hypochondriac. What I had not realised is that he had the misfortune of ill health when young and the effects of it run as a thread throughout his life up to 1914. He also contracted malaria from which he suffered at frequent intervals. The story of Haig's near Victoria Cross for rescuing a wounded man at Atbara in the Sudan was also new to me.

There is little doubt that he was able to "think big". He began to form opinions about the conduct of operations, the performance of individual generals and the need for better military organisation and professionalism from an early stage. We see for example that he is critical of Kitchener's conduct at Omdurman, when Haig himself was relatively junior and involved in the fighting. Haig also takes a dim view of the staffing arrangements and tactics in South Africa. He understood "all arms" fighting and had a good appreciation of logistics - key to the Great War, and not at all in line with the commonly held view about cavalry officers. Yet for all the large-scale thought there are also snippets that reveal a human sensitivity - for example, Haig being aware that the men were suffering from poor handling and wet, cold weather during exercises in England in the years before the war. He took steps to ensure they got into tents and were issued with rum. The speedy nature of his romance and marriage are also interesting in a man so known for detail and deliberation. We also get one fascinating account of this man, who could write so clearly and well, confusing and eventually putting an audience asleep when he drifted off script at one talk that he had to give: his apparent difficulty with verbal communication - so often a cause celebre for his critics - would appear to be confirmed and is indeed an enduring curiosity.

Overall, I found this work of great interest and a good, absorbing read. I am impressed at how Douglas Scott has remained objective in the commentary that provides a framework into which Haig's own words are woven. A very positive feature is the numerous short biographies that he has produced of the military, political and family figures that are mentioned. That in itself makes this book an addition to my bookshelf that I shall greatly value. This glimpse into the "preparatory prologue" that developed Haig into a central figure of the 1914-1918 period is priceless and I commend it to you.