Sir John French, full name John Denton Pinkstone French, 1^st Earl of Ypres (1852-1925), British supreme commander during the opening phase of World War I. He served as commander of a cavalry division in the Boer War in South Africa, distinguishing himself by relieving Kimberley and occupying Bloemfontein. In 1912 he was made chief of the imperial general staff, but he resigned in 1914 because he was unwilling to use force against opponents of home rule in northern Ireland. After the outbreak of World War I he was made supreme commander of the British armies on the western front; at the First Battle of Ypres he prevented the Germans from breaking through to Calais. In December 1915 he resigned under criticism over the cost in soldiers and matériel incurred by the advance of the armies in France. After his return to England, French was made a viscount and was commander in chief in the United Kingdom until 1918, when he was appointed lord lieutenant of Ireland. On his resignation in 1921 he was made an earl.