George Arthur Roberts BEM MSM (1 August 1891 – 8 January 1970) was a Trinidadian soldier, firefighter, and community leader in Great Britain.

Instead he enlisted for the Home Front, saving countless lives in Southwark as a firefighter during the Blitz, having completed his training with the fire service in 1939.

"If what I am doing can assist in some small way to bring about a better understanding and a true fellowship amongst the peoples of the earth, I shall be extremely happy," Roberts told the BBC radio programme Calling the West Indies on 4 May 1947.

[citation needed] Roberts was passionate about the plight of his fellow ex-servicemen and campaigned over the years on behalf of The National Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers, going on to found the local branch of the British Legion.

He led thousands of ex-servicemen, including those with battle-wounded who were unable to walk, in a march demanding improved rights and higher pensions.

After his death in 1970, he became a forgotten figure until interest in the pre-Windrush generation of black migrants began to surface about a decade ago[when?]

[citation needed] In September 2016, Roberts was honoured with a blue plaque by the London Borough of Southwark as one of the first black men to serve in the army and fire brigade.

In 2020, Bourne included Roberts and his service in the Second World War in his book Under Fire – Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45 (The History Press).