Scotland Yard detectives swooped on the family home of Field Marshall Lord Bramall of Bushfield, the former chief of the defence staff and a D-Day veteran

Former defence chief Lord Bramall today dismissed any suggestion of his involvement in child abuse as 'absolutely a load of rubbish'.

The ex-Chief of Defence Staff said he was 'mystified' about why the police had searched his home in Surrey.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Midland have also raided the homes of Tory grandee Leon Brittan and former MP Harvey Proctor.

Operation Midland is investigating claims boys senior members of the Establishment abused young men and boys in London and the south of England in the 1970s and 1980s.

It includes claims that sex parties involving boys below the age of consent were held at the exclusive Dolphin Square apartment block near the Houses of Parliament.

The operation includes detectives from the child abuse investigation command and the homicide and major crime command.

It is also examining allegations three young men were murdered,

At 91, Lord Bramall – the latest VIP to be dragged into the sex abuse inquiry – is the oldest and most respected of Britain's eight living Field Marshals.

He stepped down as Chief of Defence Staff in 1985 after four decades spent climbing the ranks from 2nd Lieutenant right to the pinnacle of Britain's armed forces.

Officers from Operation Midland searched his home last Wednesday. He told the BBC: 'Categorically, never have I had a connection or anything to do with the matters being investigated. It is not in my character or my psyche.'

He said: 'I know I have only had sex with someone other than my own sex.'

He added that any suggestion he was involved in child abuse was 'absolutely a load of rubbish'.

He said he had been to events at Dolphin Square 'four or fives times' but only once went into an apartment there.

He has not been arrested, named as a suspect by police or questioned.

Lord Bramall first saw action on the Normandy beaches the day after D-Day, when he was shelled.

Everyone else in his vehicle died but he managed to crawl out. At first he thought he was on fire, but in fact he was badly wounded and was sent back to Britain for treatment.

Lord Bramall returned to his unit just five weeks later and was leading a patrol on the Dutch-Belgian border when he was ambushed.

Rather than flee, he led a counter-attack, and managed to wound two Germans and take another one captive. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his actions by Field Marshal Montgomery himself.

He led the Royal Green Jackets in Borneo in 1965, commanded British forces in Hong Kong in the 1970s and was made head of the Army in 1979.

Lord Bramall held that role during the Falklands War of 1982, and was a strong admirer of Margaret Thatcher. 'A wonderful war leader,' he said, 'probably even better than Churchill'.

He married his wife Avril in 1949 and they have two children. The couple are still together.

After he retired, festooned with decorations, he became a life peer – and has never been afraid to speak his mind in the Lords – opposing the second war in Iraq and what he termed 'mission creep' in Afghanistan.

More recently, Lord Bramall has also been a vocal critic of defence cuts, which he fears could weaken the Army.

He told peers that when it comes to dealing with threats you 'have to prepare for the unexpected'.

Harvey Proctor insisted he was a 'discreet' man and had never been part of 'any rent boy ring' with Cabinet ministers, MPs or military top brass

The search of Lord Bramall's home took place on the same day as officers searched the Leicestershire home of ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor, 68, prompting him to publicly deny any wrongdoing.

Proctor, whose Parliamentary career ended in a rent boy 'spanking' scandal, said he was trapped in a 'Kafka-esque fantasy'.

More than 1,000 people have been questioned by police investigating claims of historic sex abuse.

The huge number, including suspects, victims and witnesses, lays bare the scale of the task facing detectives.

Scotland Yard boss Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe admitted the wave of allegations is consuming a huge amount of resources.

But he pledged to get to the heart of the claims, no matter who was involved.

Speaking on LBC Radio, Sir Bernard said his staff were 'determinedly working their way through' all the evidence, adding: 'We've now interviewed at least 1,000 people.'

Asked whether the huge amount of resources required could be justified, he said victims deserve answers. 'What we cannot do is ignore people who were ignored 30 years ago,' he said. Sir Bernard added that police 'have to prioritise' but nevertheless have 'put tens of officers into these inquiries'.

He said: 'We have got both witnesses and suspects that are scattered to the four winds. They are not grouped geographically like they were 30 years ago.