ROBERTS, Maj-Gen Sir Sebastian Lechmere KCVO OBE 1954-2023
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He was s of Brig. John Mark Herbert ROBERTS OBE 1925-90 by his c1952 m reg Q1 London to Nicola Helen Lechmere b 1930 reg Q2 London d of Nicolas Lechmere Cunningham MACASKIE QC 1881-1967 and Jane Mary 1889-1965 d of James Mark TUOHY 1857-1923 journalist (Irish DNB entry), by his 1884 m to Florence DONOVAN 1858-1943. He m 1979 Elizabeth Anne b 1955 d of Col Thomas Wemyss 1924-2004 s of Capt William Hugh MUIR MC 1895-1931 (s of Archibald Mungo MUIR 1847-99 scion of that gentry family of Billingbear House) and Jean Hargraves Thorburn BROWN 1899-1988 and Caroline Egeria Malise 1929-2023 d of Col Fergus Reginald Winsford GRAHAM 1884-1961 (4xgt gs of Sir George GRAHAM 2nd Bt c1624-1658 and Lady Mary JOHNSTONE (living 1680, Scots Peerage Vol 1 p258) d of 1st Earl of HARTFELL 1602-53, gd of 1st Earl of QUEENSBERRY d 1640, gt gd of 1st Earl of LOTHIAN c1553-1609 etc etc) and Egeria Marion Spottiswood 1886-1975 d of Vice-Adm Casper Joseph BAKER 1852-1918 and Harriet Penuel 1863-1942 d of Prof John Hutton BALFOUR 1808-84 of Edinburgh and Marion Spottiswood BAYLEY 1828-79, and had two sons and two daus as above.
Obit in the Times of 17 March 2023:
E X T R A C T
Major General Sir Sebastian Roberts obituary
Quintessential Irish Guards officer known for writing the army’s moral doctrine manual and his deft way of handling the press
… He was not only the colonel of “the Micks”, as the Irish Guards are affectionately known — a role now performed by the Princess of Wales — he was also their quintessential officer: warm, cheery and unfailingly courteous to all ranks. For its coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral last autumn, the BBC regarded Roberts as their go-to expert on matters of military pomp and circumstance…
…Sebastian John Lechmere Roberts was born in Aldershot in 1954, the eldest of seven sons, five of whose names ended in “ian”, and three daughters of Brigadier John Roberts, Welsh Guards, and his wife Nicola (née Macaskie). His father captained the army rugby team and later commanded 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. His mother and her twin, Claudia, were protégées of the theologian Monsignor Ronald Knox, chaplain at their convent school.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Roberts was educated at Ampleforth, when Basil (later Cardinal) Hume was abbot. Contemporaries remember him as “a theatrical figure, highly articulate and entertaining.”…
… At the end of 2003 he regained “line speed” on appointment as general officer commanding London District and major general of the Household Division. Along with wearing a cocked hat and sitting at the desk once used by the Duke of Wellington, the job has many delights but is no sinecure. Daily ceremonials in the public gaze together with the great state occasions and the visits of foreign dignitaries tested his nerve, especially after a further session of heart surgery. On relinquishing the command in 2007 he received the “customary K” and returned to the RCDS as chief of staff.
On St Patrick’s Day 2008 he was elevated to the colonelcy of the Irish Guards, an honorary position responsible for safeguarding the regiment’s interests, which he retained until 2011 when he handed over to the Duke of Cambridge, having left regular service the previous year…
… In 1979 he married Elizabeth Muir, daughter of a former commanding officer of the Queen’s Dragoon Guards. Lady Roberts survives him, along with their two sons, Julian and Orlando, who both followed their father (and two uncles) into the regiment, and their two daughters: Cosima, a tutor, and Flavia, who works for a travel company…
Major General Sir Sebastian Roberts KCVO, OBE, was born on January 7, 1954. He died of undisclosed causes on March 9, 2023, aged 69
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/major-general-sir-sebastian-roberts-obituary-99d667wnx
