Captain Sir Tom Moore has died aged 100 after testing positive for coronavirus. His daughters, Hannah and Lucy, confirmed Moore’s death in a statement on February 2 2021.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore. We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.
“We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of. Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.
“The care our father received from the NHS and carers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary. They have been unfalteringly professional, kind and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined.”
Tom was admitted to Bedford Hospital on January 31 after requiring help with his breathing. He had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and had tested positive for Covid-19.
Captain Sir Tom had not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine due to the medication he was on for pneumonia.
Captain Tom’s 100 laps
It’s a story that will no doubt live on for many years to come when we look back and marvel at how a then 99-year-old war veteran raised more than £30 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden.
As well as his staggering fundraising efforts – which rightfully earned him a knighthood – it was Captain Sir Tom Moore’s attitude that inspired us as a nation as he told us “To all those finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away.”
Second World War veteran Captain Tom Moore became a household name during 2020, when the centenarian embarked on his legendary walks to raise money for the NHS.
Initially, he’d thought he’d be lucky to raise £1,000 but his truly sterling efforts brought in over an astonishing £30 million.
It was Tom’s daughter Hannah, a business recruitment officer, who initially came up with the idea of her dad doing a walk in aid of NHS charities when it became clear that his planned 100th birthday party at the end of last month – which was going to be a big ‘do’ in the garden with family and friends – would have to be cancelled due to the pandemic. “I said to him, ‘Since we can’t have a 100th birthday party, why don’t we do something fun? You walk 100 lengths of the driveway and we will pay you £1 a length’.”
But together, father and daughter decided to take it a step further by turning the idea into a fundraising campaign with Hannah, and husband Colin, helping Tom set up his page on JustGiving. The rest, as they say, is history. “We are amazed, speechless and totally overwhelmed by what has happened and what Tom has achieved,” says Hannah.
Captain Tom received countless messages of support and thanks from people around the world. From thank you videos from NHS staff to birthday cards from fans, Tom was even joined by the British army on his final lap of his garden - A Guard of Honour from soldiers in the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment – sticking to social distancing rules of course- before giving a statement to the BBC.
‘I’m surrounded by the right sort of people, I feel fine and I hope you’re all feeling fine too,’ he said after completing his 2.5km walk.
How much money did Captain Tom raise for the NHS?
War veteran Tom Moore raised over £32 million (to be exact, £32,794,701 from more than 1.5m supporters.) for the NHS after completing 100 laps of his garden – finishing the challenge on his 100th birthday on April 30, 2020.
140,000 birthday cards for Captain Tom’s 100th birthday
Captain Tom Moore received more than 140,000 birthday cards from people around the world, with so much demand to celebrate the 99-year-old that a school in Bedford has taken on the role of a sorting office.
His 100 garden laps inspired countless other acts of kindness, such as eight-year-old Reegan Davies who started a social media trend to thank Tom by sending him birthday cards. Reegan posted a video on Twitter encouraging other kids to make birthday cards thanking Captain Tom for his efforts, which went on to trend on the social media site with the hashtag #MakeACardForTom.
Thousands of cards were sent to Tom’s local post office in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
The staff at Bedford School – where Tom’s grandson Benjie is a pupil - turned their activity hall into a mass mantlepiece for Tom’s cards – showcasing all of them in a beautiful display.
‘Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the school is helping out wherever it can,’ head master James Hodgson told the Bedford Independent. "Around the country, everyone’s pitching in to help and it reaffirms your belief in people’s kindness."
Captain Tom was ‘in awe’ at the thousands of cards he received.
Captain Tom Moore made an Honorary Colonel at 100th birthday celebrations
Captain Tom Moore is officially Colonel Tom Moore – he received an honorary colonel title on his 100th birthday. Marking the occasion, both the Queen and the Prime Minister wished Tom a happy birthday and he received an RAF flypast.
After raising more than £30 million for the NHS, Tom was inundated with gifts and shows of support from around the world. Not only did the British Army salute him with a happy birthday performance but five-time Grammy winners The Swingle Singers performed a Zoom sing-along to mark the occasion with a bit of jazz.
But the biggest tribute comes in the upgrade of his military title, as a war veteran who served in the second world war and later – after several other posts - became an instructor at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington.
‘Captain Tom Moore has been appointed as the first Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College Harrogate,’ tweeted the Ministry of Defence this morning. ‘Happy birthday Colonel Tom!’
Tom was also awarded an honorary degree from Cranfield University, has been made an honorary member of the England cricket team and a section of the Forest of Marston Vale – recently accredited as part of the Commonwealth Canopy - has been renamed ‘Captain Tom Moore’s Spinney’.
It seems that everyone wants to find some way to thank and congratulate Tom on all his efforts. Receiving over 140,000 cards from the public for his 100th birthday – Tom has been inundated with support.
‘It just shows what a marvellous country we are, made up of so many magnificent people keeping up their spirits however difficult it may be,’ Tom told Good Morning Britain this morning.
Captain Tom knighted by the Queen in July
Captain Sir Tom Moore was knighted on July 17 2020 in the Queen's first official engagement in person since lockdown.
The investiture to honour the 100-year-old, who raised more than £32m for NHS charities, was staged in a "unique ceremony" at Windsor Castle.
He has been recognised for walking more than 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
Capt Sir Tom, originally from Keighley, West Yorkshire, said it was "an absolutely outstanding day".
"I am absolutely overawed," he said, "This is such a high award and to get it from Her Majesty as well - what more can anyone wish for? This has been an absolutely magnificent day for me."
The Queen personally praised Capt Sir Tom, telling him: "Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised."
In May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a special nomination for the war veteran to be knighted.
Buckingham Palace said it was the first time the ceremony had been held in the strictly socially-distanced format.
Awe-inspiring Captain Tom is a national hero, but what’s it like to have him as a dad? Proud daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore chats to Alison James.
Captain Tom's family
Captain Tom is in a class all of his own. But this is something his daughter, Hannah, has always known.
“Tom was and still is such an inspirational father,” she says. “He is so resolute and 100 per cent supportive of me as a woman, mother and daughter. He’s got such a good outlook on life. I’ve always been inspired by his deep wisdom and great positivity. As he always says, ‘Tomorrow will be a good day.’ “He’s always had such an upbeat attitude to life and I think that’s partly due to his Yorkshire roots, but also to his life story and experiences.
“He’s exceptionally wise and that’s from his incredible journey in the army; it reflects still to this day. I am forever learning new things from him and about him – he is like your favourite book. You can talk to him for hours and never get bored. He has always recounted fabulous stories about our family, our heritage and also plenty of war tales. His philosophy on life has always been to work hard, always do your best and just believe in yourself. The things that give you purpose in life. It’s how I see life, too.”
Captain Tom did not become a father until later in life. He met wife-to-be Pamela in the Sixties when he was 48 and she was 35. They married in 1968 with elder daughter Lucy born in 1969, followed by Hannah a few years later. Lucy lives in Berkshire but visits her father as often as she can. Hannah says becoming an older dad in his 50s imbued the Captain with certain father-enhancing qualities.
“It brought the wisdom of his older years into our family household. I was born and grew up in Kent and had a wonderful childhood. I feel very blessed to have had such a super-happy childhood with the most wonderful mother, father and sister. We were a close-knit family and still remain exceptionally close.”
Pamela sadly passed away in 2006 and Captain Tom moved in with Hannah and her own family – husband Colin and their children Benjie (16) and Georgia (11). The three generations live together in a Bedfordshire village.
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Captain Tom’s quiet determination and glass-half-full outlook on life lifted all our spirits during the toughest year many of us have ever faced. To this day royalty, world leaders, sports personalities – and the rest of us – keep singing his praises.
And talking of singing, Captain Tom’s recording of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball and the NHS choir went straight in at No.1 on release.
Tom’s fundraising page is now closed, but you can still make a donation or fundraise for NHS Charities Together****.