The funeral of one of the country’s oldest Naval veterans has taken place in an East Hampshire church.

Final tributes have been paid to World War Two and Arctic convoy legend Captain Stuart Farquharson-Roberts.

The father-of-two and former HMS Vernon captain was 104 when he died in June, with his funeral recently taking place at All Saints Church in Steep, near Petersfield.

Stuart was born in Lower Bourne, Farnham, in June 1922, and was educated at Brighton College, before entering the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1940.

His 18th birthday – and his second day at the college – was eventful as he learned his father, Colonel M F Farquharson-Roberts RASC, had escaped from Dunkirk.

His naval career was a long and storied one: He hunted U-boats in The Atlantic and was part of Operation Menace, the unsuccessful campaign to capture Dakar from the Vichy French government.

Most will remember his vivid accounts of the perilous Arctic convoys with his tales capturing the “danger and discomfort, as well as the salt, humour and humanity, of life in those high latitudes.”

His experiences included Christmas lunch with a “single precious roast potato” in the wardroom of HMS Westcott as it rolled at 45 to 60 degrees with a German battlecruiser at large in the area. The next day he learned that Scharnhost had been sunk, with only a few dozen of its 2,000 crew being rescued from the “common enemy” of the sea.

A spell on HMAS Australia followed and he returned to Britain in the MV Port Dunedin, being passed by a cigar-smoking and hat-waving Winston Churchill on the battleship Prince of Wales in the mid-Atlantic.

Later landmarks included a part in the liberation of Bergen and leading a victory parade through the Norwegian city and training future generations of officers. He was made a director of foreign and Commonwealth training from 1973 to 1977 and was appointed OBE in 1958.

Away from the sea, the witty and razor-sharp Farquharson-Roberts studied mathematics and science with the Open University and taught at The Pilgrims’ School in Winchester. He also loved cricket, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, poetry and classical music, and remained sharp well into his old age, regularly tackling codewords and crossroads into his 100s.

Stuart, who twice married, was also a popular member of the Petersfield South Downs Probus Club, who were saddened to learn of his death.

The club said: “He was no doubt one of the oldest Naval officers who served in WWII.

“Stuart was an active member of PSDPC for 28 years having joined in 1995 and gave a number of talks on his wartime exploits in the Navy.

“He served in World War II during Operation Menace in North Africa, hunted boats in the North Atlantic and was a veteran of the perilous Arctic convoys.

“After the War Stuart remained in the Navy and later commanded HMS Vernon before retiring in 1977.

“PSDPC members will remember his last extremely entertaining Talk in 2015 on the life of Horatio Nelson entirely without notes."