Complex sentence: He was a tall, fair-haired man, mild mannered with an ever-present pipe in his mouth, a man with a charming manner which endeared him to both the general public and the men he commanded.
Split into simpler sentences: He was a tall, fair-haired man, mild mannered with an ever-present pipe in his mouth. A man with a charming manner which endeared him to both the general public and the men he commanded.