A statue of Field Marshal Haig on horseback at the Esplanade, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland. Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (1861 - 1928) commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from 1915 to the end of the War. Most notably he was commander during the Battle of the Somme, the 3rd Battle of Ypres and the series of victories leading to the German surrender in 1918.