See Also: French, John (Denton Pinkstone), 1st earl of Ypres(encyclopedia)
Sandwich, John Montagu, 4th earl of(encyclopedia)
Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd earl of(encyclopedia)
Bute, John Stuart, 3rd earl of(encyclopedia)
Durham, John George Lambton, 1st earl of(encyclopedia)
Sloan, John (French)(encyclopedia)
John Douglas French Center(health)
Jellicoe, John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl(encyclopedia)
Ypres(dictionary)
Ypres, Battles of(encyclopedia)

French, John (Denton Pinkstone), 1st earl of Ypres (sh)




born Sept. 28, 1852, Ripple, Kent, Eng.
died May 22, 1925, Deal, Kent

British military leader.

A soldier from 1874, he successfully led the British cavalry in the South African War. He was appointed inspector general in 1907 and chief of the army general staff in 1913. As commander of the British Expeditionary Force from the beginning of World War I, he was criticized for his indecisive leadership at Ypres, Belg., and elsewhere that caused large numbers of British casualties. Forced to resign in 1915, he served as commander in chief in Britain and later as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1918-21).