Neuve Chapelle he wrote to her, "Tomorrow I shall go forward with my war cry of 'Winifred. She was tall and elegant, and the disparity in their heights caused great amusement. Siblings French had six sisters. One sister, Katherine Harley, by then a widow, led a group of British nurses on the Salonika front and was killed by shellfire at Monastir in March 1917. Another sister was the suffragette, anti-war campaigner and Irish nationalist Sinn Féin member Charlotte Despard, a Catholic convert. During the Irish War of Independence, while her brother the Lord Lieutenant was directing operations against Sinn Féin, Despard, together with Maud Gonne and others, was supporting republican prisoners through the Women's Prisoners' Defence League. Honours British Peerage viscountcy as Viscount French (1916) earldom as Earl of Ypres (1922) Military Knight of the Order of St Patrick (1917) Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1909) Civil Member of the Order of Merit (1914) Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1907) Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (1902) Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (1918) Civic Honorary Freedom of the City of Canterbury – 26 August 1902 Honorary Freedom of the borough of Bedford – 9 October 1902 Honorary Freedom of the City of Leeds – 6 November 1902 Honorary Freedom and livery of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers, with a sword of honour – 28 July 1902 – "in recognition of his distinguished services in the War in South Africa". Honorary Freedom and livery of the Worshipful Company of Salters – 13 November 1902 Honorary Freedom and livery of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers Others Knight 1st class Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia – during his September 1902 visit to Germany to attend German Army manoeuvres. Croix de guerre of France – 22 February 1916 Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold of Belgium – 24 February 1916 Order of St. George of Russia, 3rd Class – 16 May 1916 Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus of the Kingdom of Italy – 26 May 1917 First Class of the Order of the Star of Karađorđe with Swords of the Kingdom of Serbia – 10 September 1918 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers of the Empire of Japan – 9 November 1918 Memorials John French,