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John Tracey William French obtained his commission 30 March, 1837. He was appointed, 12 May following, to the Hazard 18, Capt. Jas. Wilkinson, on the Mediterranean station, where he joined, 27 Dec. 1838, the Carysfort 26, Capt. Henry Byam Martin. He went on half-pay in 1839, but since 8 Jan. 1847 has been employed as First of the Dasher steam ...
- In Africa
- Second Boer War
- Trusted General
- To The Continent
- The Marne to Digging in
- Later Career
- Sources
In 1884, French took part in the Sudan Expedition which moved up the Nile River with the goal of relieving Major General Charles Gordon's forces which were besieged at Khartoum. En route, he saw action at Abu Klea on January 17, 1885. Though the campaign proved a failure, French was promoted to lieutenant colonel the following month. Returning to B...
Returning to Africa in late 1899, French took command of the Cavalry Division in South Africa. He was thus in place when the Second Boer War commenced that October. After defeating General Johannes Kock at Elandslaagte on October 21, French took part in the larger relief of Kimberley. In February 1900, his horsemen played a key role in the triumph ...
Returning to Aldershot, French assumed command of the 1st Army Corps in September 1902. Three years later he became the overall commander at Aldershot. Promoted to general in February 1907, he became Inspector-General of the Army that December. One of the British Army's stars, French received the honorary appointment of Aide-de-Camp General to the ...
With the British entry into the conflict, French was appointed to command the newly-formed British Expeditionary Force. Consisting of two corps and a cavalry division, the BEF began preparations to deploy to the Continent. As planning moved forward, French clashed with Kitchener, then serving as Secretary of State for War, over where the BEF should...
As French began contemplating withdrawing to the coast, Kitchener arrived on September 2 for an emergency meeting. Though angered by Kitchener's interference, the discussion convinced him to keep the BEF at the front and to take part in French Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Joffre's counteroffensive along the Marne. Attacking during the First Ba...
Having clashed repeatedly with Kitchener and having lost the confidence of the Cabinet, French was relieved in December 1915 and replaced by General Sir Douglas Haig. Appointed to command the Home Forces, he was elevated to Viscount French of Ypres in January 1916. In this new position, he oversaw the suppression of the 1916 Easter Rising in Irelan...
May 24, 2018 · John Tracy William French. Birthdate: 1808. Death: 1855 (46-47) Immediate Family: Son of John Denton Pinkstan French and Charlotte Isaacson. Husband of Margaret French. Father of Charlotte Despard (French); Mary Lydall; Caroline French; Margaret Jones; Kate French and 2 others.
Born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England on 24 Oct 1807 to John Denton Pinkstan French and Charlotte Isaacson. John Tracey William French married Margaret Eccles and had 7 children. He passed away on 10 Feb 1855 in Ripple Vale, kent.
- Male
- October 24, 1807
- Woodbridge, Suffolk, England
- February 10, 1855
His father was Commander John Tracey William French, RN, who had fought at Navarino and under Napier in support of Dom Pedro in the Portuguese Civil War. His mother was Margaret Eccles, from Glasgow, who after suffering a breakdown following her husband's death was eventually institutionalised.
- Ripple, Kent
- Field Marshal
- 1866–1921
Will of John Tracey William French, Lieutenant in the Royal Navy of Edinburgh , Mid Lothian Date: 16 April 1855 Held by: The National Archives, Kew: Legal status: Public Record(s)...
May 24, 2018 · Daughter of CDR John Tracy William French, RN and Margaret French Wife of Maximilian Carden Despard Sister of Mary Lydall; Caroline French; Margaret Jones; Kate French; Field Marshal Sir John French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP GCB OM GCVO KCMG PC and 1 other. Managed by: Jake Kingsbury: Last Updated: May 24, 2018
