| Earl Haig Memorial | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Earl Haig Memorial | |
 | |
| Artist | Alfred Frank Hardiman |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig |
| Location | Whitehall, Westminster, London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′15″N0°07′35″W / 51.50426°N 0.12631°W /51.50426; -0.12631 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Statue of Field Marshal Earl Haig |
| Designated | 9 July 2014 |
| Reference no. | 1066109[1] |
TheEarl Haig Memorial is a bronzeequestrian statue of the BritishWestern Front commanderDouglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig onWhitehall in central London. It was created by the sculptorAlfred Frank Hardiman and commissioned by Parliament in 1928. Eight years in the making, it aroused considerable controversy; the Field Marshal's riding position, his uniform, the horse's anatomy and its stance all drew harsh criticism. The inscription on the plinth reads "Field Marshal Earl Haig Commander-in-Chief of the British Armies in France 1915–1918".
Hardiman had won the commission in competition with his fellow sculptorsGilbert Ledward[2] andWilliam Macmillan. His winning model showed Haig riding a classical charger befitting a hero, derived from Hardiman's studies of renaissance equestrian sculpture. The Press and Lady Haig weighed in, asking why Earl Haig could not be portrayed with realism riding his own horse, Poperinghe. Eventually Hardiman was asked to produce a second model, but in trying to accommodate his critics the sculptor produced a compromise that pleased no-one. The design went back to Cabinet and they were persuaded to allow the sculptor a free hand in executing the full-sized statue;George Lansbury wrote: "I feel confident that if your genius is unfettered you will give us a memorial worthy of theField Marshal, the nation and yourself".[3] The memorial was unveiled byPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 10 November 1937, withKing George VI laying a wreath at the base the following day,Armistice Day.[4]
The memorial has received some support in recent years but has also found itself the target of criticism. In the run-up to Remembrance Day 1998 theDaily Express attacked the memorial on its front page, asking "Why do we let this man cast a shadow over our war dead?".[5] On 4 June 2020, protesters shouted abuse at soldiers from theHousehold Cavalry whilst scrubbingA.C.A.B. graffiti from the memorial, following aBlack Lives Matter protest.[6]
Media related toEarl Haig Memorial, Whitehall, London at Wikimedia Commons
