THE EARL OF YPRES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 119, 23 May 1925, Page 7

THE EARL OF YPRES

ILLNESS ENDS IN DEATH

A FAMOUS IRISH SOLDIER

LEADER OF THE "OLD CON'

ITEMPTIBLES.'i

(UNWED PRESS ASSOCI.iTIO.-i—COKAIGDT.J (BEUIER'S TEI.EOIUM.) (Received 23rd May, 10 a.m.) LONDON, 23rd May. The Earl of Ypres is dead. Tho "Daily Express" understands that the chaplain of St. Paul's will offer for the interment of the late Earl of Ypres the niche which was reserved in the Cathedral for the late Earl Kitchener, adjoining the burial-place of the late Lord Roberts.

The Earl of Ypres underwent an operation 011 19th March for the removal of a tumour, but from that time appeared to be fatally ill, and, in spite of occasional rallies, gradually sank. His operation took place at a private hospital in London, but afterwards he asked to be removed to Deal Castle, of which he was in command, and which is only a couple of miles from his own home, and it was there that he died.

The Earl of Ypres will live in history as the general who, at the outbreak of the Great War, led into Franca what the Germans called England's "Contemptible Little Army." On relinquishing the command of the British Forces in 1915, Sir John French (as he was then called) became Commander-in-Chief of the troops stationed in the United Kingdom, a post which he held until the end of the war. It is an interesting fact that the late Lord Ypres began his career in the Navy, and served as a cadet and midshipman for four years. He entered the Army in 1874, and fought with the 19th Hussars during the Nile expedition in 1884-85, and commanded his regiment from 1889 to 1893. After two years on the War Office staff, he commanded a cavalry brigade from 1897 to 1899 and on the, mobilisation of the expeditionary fo'ree for South Africa in the latter year he was chosen to command the Cavalry Division, and was promoted major-general. Pending the assembly of this, he served in Natal, where he commanded the troops on the field at Elandslaagte, and took part In the early combats near Ladysmith, but he proceeded to Cape Colony just before the place was invested. After a few weeks in charge of the force at Colesberg, he led the cavalry during Lord Roberts's advance from Cape Colony, relieved Kimberley, cut oft the retreat of Cronje's army, and occupied Bloemfontein. During the subsequent advano? into the Transvaal ho was in command of the left wing, and at a later stage of the victorious campaign he played a prominent part in the move from Pretoria to Komati Poorfc. For these services he was given the X.0.8. During most of-the- second phase of die struggle he was in command of the forces operating against the enemy in Cape Colony, and he was on the conclusion of hostilities promoted lieutenant-general, and was given the K.C.M.G.

He commanded at Aldershot from 1902 to 1907, in winch year lie was promoted 1,0 General, and ho then became Inspec-tor-General of the Forces for Svo years. Ho was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1012, and -was promoted Field-Marshal in 1913. In April. 1914, I he vacated the post of C.1.G.5., owing ■ to military troubles in Ireland in connection with Ulster, but four months later ho was chosen to take charge of the Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of the j World War, and he commanded the British Army on the Western Front from' the outset of the struggle until the end of 1915. The chief. "events in Franco while he was in command were the retreat from Mons under circumstances of great difficulty; the battle of the Marne and subsequent advance to the Aisne; the- transfer of the Expeditionary Force to Flanders; the desperate fighting in the autumn generally called the First Battle [of Ypres; the successful Neuve Chapelle offensive . undertaken in March, 1915; the second Battle of Ypres in April, 1915; the abortive operations near Festubert embarked on a few days later; and the important victory won in September m the region of Loos. During the seventeen months that Field-Marshall Sir John French led the British troops in the.field, these rose, excluding cavalry, from an original total of five divisions at the front to a total of 34 divisions; these he had organised as three armies. His forces -up till the last three months suffered greatly from a lack of artillery ammunition, except during the opening weeks of the campaign; this hampered his operations to an extent not experienced by his successor. He resigned in December, Sir Douglas Haig takinn- his place, _ and he returned to England, to be raised to the peerage as Viscount French of Ypres and High Lake in recognition of his great services. He then became Commander-iii-Chief in the United .Kingdom, and he held that appointment until May, 1918, when he was seJected to be Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland Jnis position he occupied under most trying conditions until early in 19?1 the political state of the country growing worse and worse. On resigning ""he was rewarded with an earldom. At the end ot the war, Lord French published his personal narrative under the title ]9M.

The Earl of Ypi-es had been captain of Deal Castlo smco 1923, liavino- previously received a grant of £50,000 from 1 arJiament for his war .services. At the time of his death ho was 7:3 years old mul was a son of tho late Captain John Iray ]<rench, B.N. In ISSO ho was married to Miss Eleonara Selby-Lowndes and there are three children of the union llio heir to the Earldom is Viscount b reach, who was born in 1881, and who saw sen-ice during tho Great War with tho Royal Horse Artillery. Tho other son is the Hon. E. G. F. French, D S 0 now serving with the police at the Bahanas Tho Earl of Ypres had only one daughter, Lady Essex Eleonorn French who was created a Lady of Grace St' John of Jerusalem in 191 S.