Joseph Jacques Césaire JOFFRE (1852-1931)

Joffre is mentioned in Kathleen Sladden’s letters of 18^th February 1915 and 31^st October 1915.  She refers to a colleague’s brother frequently seeing Joffre at St Ouen.

Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916.  He is best known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914.  Joffre’s political position waned after unsuccessful offensives in 1915 – something which Kathleen alludes to in her letter of 31^st October.  His political position waned further after the German attack on Verdun in 1916 and the disappointing results of the Anglo-French offensive on the Somme in 1916.

At the end of 1916 he was promoted to Marshal of and moved to an advisory role, from which he quickly resigned. Later in the war he led an important mission to the USA.

Joffre died on 3^rd January 1931 in Paris and was buried on his estate in Louveciennes.