French Street

French Street is one of several streets located on the seaward side of St Aubyn Street named after British military commanders.

Sir John Denton Pinkstone French was born into a military family in Ripple, Kent in 1852. French was educated at Harrow and attended Eastman's naval academy in Portsmouth. Unfortunately for French, it was discovered he suffered from acrophobia (fear of heights), promptly ending his maritime aspirations. French then joined the army and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in 1874. His distinguished actions in the Sudan Campaign of 1884-1885 led to him being made Commanding Officer of the 19th Hussars.

Further success for French followed during the Boer War. As commanding officer of the cavalry division, French led them to victory at the Battle of Elandslaagte on October 21, 1899. A knighthood and promotion to the rank of lieutenant general were the rewards for his outstanding leadership.

The pinnacle of his military career came with his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force at the beginning of World War One. While French appeared to be the logical choice for this role, it was a decision Lord Kitchener was to regret. This time, his erratic leadership and poor judgement led to heavy casualties in several early battles. Ultimately, his misguided attempt to shift some of the blame to the high command forced Kitchener to replace French with his assistant, General Sir Douglas Haig, in September 1915.

Despite this embarrassment, French was sent to Ireland as Supreme Commander of the British Army. He survived an assassination attempt in December 1919, and retired from the British Army in April 1921.

French's final honour was his appointment as the 1st Earl of Ypres in June 1922. He died in 1925 at the age of 72 and was buried in his hometown of Ripple.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.