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Field marshal
- John French, 1st earl of Ypres (born September 28, 1852, Ripple, Kent, England—died May 22, 1925, Deal, Kent) was a field marshal who commanded the British army on the Western Front between August 1914, when World War I began, and December 17, 1915, when he resigned under pressure and was succeeded by Gen. (afterward Field Marshal) Douglas Haig.
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John French, 1st Earl of Ypres. Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, PC (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer.
May 18, 2024 · John French, 1st earl of Ypres (born September 28, 1852, Ripple, Kent, England—died May 22, 1925, Deal, Kent) was a field marshal who commanded the British army on the Western Front between August 1914, when World War I began, and December 17, 1915, when he resigned under pressure and was succeeded by Gen. (afterward Field Marshal) Douglas Haig.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres, was a leading officer of the ‘British Army.’. During his career, French held several titles. He was a field marshal and a viscount. French started his career as a midshipman in the ‘Royal Navy.’. Later, he joined the ‘British Army’ and made significant contributions to the Gordon Relief Expedition in Sudan.
Who's Who - Sir John French. Sir John Denton Pinkstone French (1852-1925), Earl of Ypres, was born in 1852 in Ripple Vale, Kent. After joining the navy in 1866, French transferred to the army in 1874.
- Introduction↑
- World War I↑
- Conclusion↑
Sir John French, 1st Earl of Ypres (1852-1925), commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 30 July 1914 to 18 December 1915. French was a hard-riding cavalryman, whose exploits during the South African War – when troops under his command relieved Kimberley – had made him one of the most famous soldiers in the Empire. He was appointed Chief of t...
French was never a natural fit for such an onerous position. His personal courage was not in doubt, but he was temperamental and at times petty and highly-strung. He also waged an on-off feud with General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien (1858-1930) throughout 1914-1915, which displayed a depressing lack of professionalism. When Smith-Dorrien (GOC II Corps...
The fiasco of the reserves would prove to be French’s downfall. His despatch in The Times on 2 November 1915 contained basic errors on the timing and control of the reserves and provoked an angry response from Haig, who had opened a full-blown whispering campaign against his chief. Increasingly powerful voices in London were also beginning to share...
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres,, known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer.
Charles H. L. Johnston, "Sir John French: The Man Who Led the First British Army," in Famous Generals of the Great War Who Let the United States and Her Allies to a Glorious Victory, Boston: The Page Company, 1919. France would not have to fight these blood-thirsty Germans alone, that was certain, and as, standing upon the quarter-deck of the ...
