Field Marshal Sir John French, Earl of Ypres, was born in 1852. After serving briefly with the Royal Navy, he joined the Army in 1874, serving in the Sudan and South Africa during the Anglo-Boer Wars.

During 1912 - 1913, French served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff rising to the rank of Field Marshal in 1913. French was given command of the British Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of the First World War but his erratic performance led to his replacement by Haig in 1915.

French was subsequently given command of the British Home Front for the remainder of the First World War, during which time he was required to quell the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. Sir John French died in 1925.

Faces of the First World War

Find out more about this First World War Centenary project at www.1914.org/faces.

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