At the outbreak of the First World War, Douglas Haig held the rank of Lieutenant-General, and was General Officer Commanding Aldershot Command. He assisted Field Marshal John French in organizing the British Expeditionary Force and was given command of the I Corps of that force. He played an important role in the First Battle of Ypres, and received a promotion to General on November 16, 1914. He replaced French as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force on December 10, 1915. He was criticized for the large number of casualties at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, and acquired, perhaps unjustly, a reputation as a "butcher." He achieved great success on the Western Front in 1918, leading to Germany's surrender.