THE widow of an Army reservist who collapsed during an SAS training exercise has told an inquest he was "handsome", "charming" and "good at everything".

Bryher Dunsby said Afghan veteran Corporal James Dunsby, who lived in Trowbridge and was a reservist with Swindon-based A Squadron The Royal Yeomanry, was extremely fit, a trained combat medic and had first joined the British Army as a reserve in 2005.

Cpl Dunsby died, along with two others, after taking part in the military exercise on Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales on July 13, 2013 - one of the hottest days of the year.

His widow said today that he had been "a delightful eccentric mix between Flashman, a PG Wodehouse novel, and a Noel Coward play".

She said: "He loved the British Army."

"He was so likeable, James was very popular and never had any problems making friends.

"He was academic and an exceptional all-rounder. He was good at sport, highly academic - he was just good at everything."

Mrs Dunsby, who was at times emotional as she gave evidence on the first day of the inquest, said: "I do have to say James always maintained an exceptionally high level of fitness."

She said her husband, at the time an intelligence analyst for the Ministry of Defence, had increased the already high tempo of his training regime when he decided to join the special force.

"When he decided to put himself forward for this, everything ramped up considerably and starting in early autumn of 2012."

The university graduate was an "all-rounder", she said, who was "very passionate about history and the military".

He served with the Household Cavalry in Helmand province, Afghanistan, during Operation Herrick 7 in 2007-8, where he was on operations around Musa Qala.

She said that as a qualified medic Cpl Dunsby knew well how to approach a training exercise, and the importance of drinking enough water.

The inquest is also being attended by the families of the two other soldiers who died as a result of the exercise, Lance Corporal Edward Maher and Lance Corporal Craig Roberts.

At its opening, senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt said the hearing would ensure the "full facts are brought to light" over what happened.

She added that any "factual failings" could feature in the coroner's conclusion, if uncovered.

The coroner said: "It's important this inquest is both prompt, effective and independent and involves the families.

"It's also important that the full facts are brought to light, culpability and discreditable conduct exposed and suspicion of deliberate wrongdoing is allayed."

She added that any changes or lessons learned as a result of the soldiers' deaths would also be examined.

L/Cpl Roberts, 24, from Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, was pronounced dead on the mountainside, while L/Cpl Maher and Corporal Dunsby, both 31, were taken to hospital.

L/Cpl Maher died three hours later in Merthyr Tydfil's Prince Charles Hospital, while Cpl Dunsby was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where he died on July 30.

Setting out the circumstances of the training exercise, Ms Hunt said 78 soldiers carrying backpacks weighing at least 49lb (22kg) - not including their food and water - had set out on the march on July 13 2013.

Of those, 37 were Army reservists like those who subsequently died.

The march was taking place on what was forecast to be the hottest day of the year, with temperatures forecast to reach 27C, added the coroner.

Ms Hunt said: "We're going to hear evidence that a number of soldiers became unwell during this march.

"Later on in the test there was concern raised for all three of the deceased."

She said the inquest, at Solihull Council House and set to last four weeks, will hear evidence about the exercise's planning, risk assessments, preparation and how the reservists were handled when it became clear they were in trouble.

Later the coroner heard that an Army officer told one of the grieving families it would have been "too much paperwork" to cancel a special forces test march which led to three deaths.

The unnamed commanding officer is alleged to have made the remark to relatives of Lance Corporal Craig Roberts shortly after they had viewed his body in a mortuary.

An inquest into the deaths of L/Cpl Roberts, Lance Corporal Edward Maher and Corporal James Dunsby has heard that the men collapsed on the Brecon Beacons in South Wales on one of the hottest days of 2013.

In a family statement read to the hearing by her lawyer, L/Cpl Roberts' mother Margaret questioned why the 24-year-old was "sent up there in that heat" on July 13.

The family of L/Cpl Roberts, who was working as a teaching assistant, were informed of his death at 11.30pm on the day of the exercise.

In their statement, family members said they later visited a hospital in South Wales, where they asked a commanding officer whether the timing of the march could have been changed.

"He replied 'There would be too much paperwork'," the family statement added. "We were so angry with this answer. We were being told that the march wasn't cancelled to save on paperwork."

Born in St Asaph in North Wales, L/Cpl Roberts joined the Army reserves while studying at the University of Leicester and had also worked as a fitness instructor.

Described as being very patriotic, the banking and finance graduate served with the Royal Anglian Regiment in Cyprus before informing family members that he wished to be selected for the reserve special forces.

The family statement added: "We were concerned, well actually terrified, about where he might be sent and the danger he might be put in but it didn't occur to us to be worried about training.

"We are proud to be his parents. In the days and weeks that followed Craig's death we asked ourselves why he and others were sent up there in that heat.

"We hope this inquest can answer that question."

The inquest is expected to last for up to four weeks.