Sir John French arriving at Boulogne, France, 1914, (1935). British soldier John Denton Pinkstone French (1852-1925) served during the Boer Wars, and was first Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force for the first two years of World War I before serving as Commander-in-Chief of Home Forces. From "The Silver Jubilee Book - The Story of 25 Eventful Years in Pictures". [Odhams Press Ltd., London, 1935]