[2] His father was a hairdresser who had moved to the Crows Nest area from Tenterfield, New South Wales, while his mother had originally come from Charleville, Queensland.

He was also known for his sense of fair play, with one of his childhood friends, Alf Blinco, recounting the story of how French had exonerated him when he had been falsely accused of stealing by finding the real perpetrators.

The battalion then joined the garrison at Tobruk as it was surrounded by German forces, taking part in several actions before being withdrawn in August.

[2] In early 1942, in response to the growing threat posed by Japan's entry into the war following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Malaya, the 2/9th Battalion, along with the rest of the 7th Division, was brought back to Australia.

[13] In early September, the battalion took part in heavy fighting after the Japanese landed a force to capture the Allied airfields situated there.

The citation for French's VC award reads as follows: At Milne Bay New Guinea, on the afternoon of 4 September 1942, a company of Australian Infantry battalion attacked a Japanese position where it encountered terrific rifle and machine-gun fire.

By his cool courage and disregard of his own personal safety, this non-commissioned officer saved members of his section from heavy casualties and was responsible for the successful conclusion of the attack.

Two of his brothers also served during the war: Eric in the Army, and Gordon, who was killed in action in August 1943 in Europe, in the Royal Australian Air Force.

[citation needed] The John French VC Bridge on the Toowoomba Range crossing was unveiled in September 2019.