Douglas Haig came up to Brasenose College in 1880, aged 19, and though he qualified for a pass degree, he left the College before taking it. While at Oxford University Haig led a very active sporting life, playing polo for the University.
Haig went from Brasenose to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst where he embarked on a long career in the military, serving in Sudan under Horatio Kitchener and in the Boer War under John French. Between 1915 and 1918 Haig was Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, which was sent to the Western Front. After the war he became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces and assisted in the establishment of the Royal British Legion. Since his death in 1928 controversy has surrounded his role in the First World War.
The Haig Papers are kept at the National Library of Scotland.