SIR JOHN
FRENCH,
1ST
ST EARL
ARL OF
OF YPRES
PRES
Not far from the War and Peace Revival
showground at Westenhanger is the tiny
hamlet of Ripple. In the context of the
Great War, its claim to fame is as the birthplace of Sir John French, the man who led
the British Expeditionary Force to war, and
is also his last resting place as his ashes
were interred in the churchyard after his
death in 1926.
Born on 28th September 1852 at Ripple Vale,
Kent, John French was the son of a naval
officer. French initially followed in his father's
footsteps and was appointed a midshipman
in the Royal Navy in 1866. While serving
aboard HMS Warrior, now preserved in
Portsmouth, he developed a fear of heights
which forced him to abandon his naval
career in 1869.
French transferred to the British Army in
February 1874. Initially serving with the 8th
King's Royal Irish Hussars, he moved through
a variety of cavalry regiments and achieved
the rank of major in 1883. The following year
he took part in the Sudan Expedition which
moved up the Nile River with the goal of
relieving General Gordon at Khartoum.
En route, he saw action at Abu Klea on
January 17, 1885.
On his return to Britain, he assumed
command of the 19th Hussars, underwent
staff training and served in various high-level
staff posts before eventually assuming
command of the 1st Cavalry Brigade at
Aldershot. French’s rise continued and he
served in the Boer War with distinction
achieving the rank of lieutenant general
by 1902.
By 1912 he had been appointed as Chief of
the Imperial General Staff. Made field
marshal in June 1913, he resigned his
position on the Imperial General
Staff in April 1914 after a
disagreement with Asquith's
government regarding the Curragh
Mutiny.
On the outbreak of war French was
appointed to command the
newly-formed British Expeditionary
Force which consisting of two corps
(I Corps, Haig & II Corps, Grierson)
and a cavalry division.
French quickly clashed over policy
with Kitchener, then serving as
Secretary of State for War, over
where the BEF should be placed. While
Kitchener advocated a position near Amiens
from where it could mount a counterattack
against the Germans, French preferred
Belgium where it would be supported by the
Belgian Army. Backed by the Cabinet, French
won the debate and began moving his men
across the Channel, deployment of the initial
BEF completing by the 16th August.
Reaching the front, French’s temper and
prickly disposition soon led to difficulties in
dealing with his French allies, namely
General Charles Lanrezac who commanded
the French Fifth Army on his right.
The Battle of Mons and the Retreat to the
Marne are well known and outside of the
scope of this brief article, but of note is the
increasing confusion caused by French’s
orders - which resulted in Smith Dorrien of II
Corps ignoring French’s order and fighting
the rearguard action at Le Cateau. As the
retreat continued, French began to lose
confidence and became indecisive. Shaken
by the high losses sustained, he became
increasingly concerned about his men's
welfare rather than aiding his allies.
Relationships with both his superiors and
subordinates continued to deteriorate.
Although he continued in command through
1915 and the battles of Neuve Chapelle, 2nd
Ypres, Aubers Ridge and Loos, having
clashed repeatedly with Kitchener, and
having lost the confidence of the Cabinet,
French was finally 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 Ireland. Two years later, in May
1918, the Cabinet made French British
Viceroy, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and
Supreme Commander of the British Army in
Ireland. Fighting with various nationalist
groups, he sought to destroy Sinn Féin. As a
result of these actions, he was the target of a
failed assassination attempt in December
1919. Resigning his post on April 30, 1921,
French moved into retirement. He died of
cancer at Deal Castle on the 22nd May 1926.
Ripple Vale
42
The War and Peace Revival 2014
Sir John French