Britain
Sir John French
1852–1925 Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, 1914–1915
A cavalryman who had made his name in the Boer War, French was given command of the BEF in August 1914. He was brave and popular with the troops, but moody and impulsive, quarreled with Kitchener and with the French, and was shaken by the retreat from Mons. He nearly withdrew the BEF from the line in early September and had to be persuaded by Joffre and Kitchener to stay. He commanded well at Ypres but lost his post in December 1915, after the failure of Loos, to Douglas Haig. He afterwards served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and was made Earl of Ypres in 1922.