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The word “incomparable” is over-used. But it is entirely accurate when applied to Sir Martin Gilbert. Had his achievements been restricted to his monumental biography of Sir Winston Churchill, they would alone have justified the many encomiums that have flowed since his passing on Wednesday. But they were far, far more numerous. As Lord Sacks put it: “Sir Martin Gilbert was one of the world’s great historians, but for us he was also the voice of Jewish memory in our time”. Whether it was the Holocaust, the story of Israel, or any of the other areas about which he wrote, his mastery of complex detail was peerless. But what infused that detail was a warmth and humanity that have rarely been matched to such intellect. Sir Martin was also a public figure who made an immense contribution to the wider community, with the Iraq War inquiry now his final role. His words will be his testament and memory. Baruch dayan ha’emet.