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 can not 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 . 'But we will get to the bottom of it , I am sure we will , so far as it is possible . ' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Police searched home of Lord Bramall , a decorated former soldier . The Field Marshall was former chief of the defence staff and D-Day veteran . Part of operation which also targeted properties belonging to Lord Brittan .