Popular officer and respected military ethicist.

At six feet and seven inches, Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts, who died on March 9 aged 69, towered over his brother officers and the soldiers in his command. Nevertheless an imposing physical presence – made even taller in full-dress uniform by his ceremonial plumed cocked hat – belay a gentle character who radiated genuine interest in the lives of others, most of all in the wellbeing of his men. 

He was a frequent feature on ceremonial occasions – not least amid the pageantry of Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday parades – but had ill health not dogged him he would almost certainly have risen to become a distinguished battlefield commander. He was intelligent, well-spoken and organised, and able to handle both the demands of Whitehall and a not always sympathetic media.