LONDON (AP) – Captain Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who walked into the hearts of a closed country while shuffling through his yard to raise money for health workers, has passed away after a positive test for COVID-19. He was 100.
His family announced his death on Twitter, posting a photo of him behind his walker at a happy moment, ready for an adventure.
“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and was experiencing things that he had only dreamed of, ”the family said. “Although he only sat in so many hearts for a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will live in our hearts forever.”
Captain Tom, as he became known in headlines and TV interviews, wanted to raise £ 1,000 for the UK’s National Health Service by walking 100 laps around his backyard. But his search went viral and captured the imaginations of millions who were at home during the first wave of the pandemic. Donations poured in from all over Britain and even the United States and Japan, raising about 33 million pounds ($ 40 million).
In April, fans were greeted for three weeks with daily videos of Captain Tom, bent of age and tenaciously pushing his walker into the yard. But it was his sunny attitude during a dark moment that inspired people to look beyond illness and loss.
“Please always remember that tomorrow is going to be a good day,” Moore said in an interview on his walk, saying the words that became his trademark.
When Captain Tom completed his 100th round on April 16, a military guard of honor lined the path. The party continued on his birthday a few days later, when two World War II fighter planes flew over him in tribute. Moore, a plaid blanket over his shoulders, pumped a fist as they roared past.
In July he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a socially detached ceremony at Windsor Castle, west of London. The 94-year-old monarch used an impossibly long sword to give credit when Moore, with his war medals on his chest, leaned on his walker, beamed and became Sir Tom.
“I am overwhelmed by the many awards I have received in recent weeks, but there is simply nothing that compares to them,” he tweeted after the ceremony. “I am overwhelmed with pride and joy.”
Queen Elizabeth II is planning a private message of condolence to the family, Buckingham Palace said.
“Her Majesty was delighted to meet Captain Sir Tom and his family in Windsor last year,” the palace said in a statement. “Her thoughts, and those of the royal family, are with them, recognizing the inspiration he has given to the entire nation and others around the world.”
Flags were lowered at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street office. The British leader described Moore as a “hero in the truest sense of the word.”
Born on April 30, 1920 in Keighley, West Yorkshire, Moore completed an apprenticeship in civil engineering before being drafted into the army during the early months of World War II. After being selected for officer training, he rose to the rank of captain while serving in India, Burma and Sumatra.
After leaving the army in 1946, Moore went to work for the family business. After that failed, he became a salesman and later manager of building materials companies. When the concrete company he worked for was threatened with closure, Moore picked up a group of investors and bought it, retaining 60 jobs.
On the way, he divorced his first wife and fell in love with his employer’s office manager, Pamela. The couple married, had two daughters and eventually retired to Spain, but returned to England after Pamela Moore fell ill.
After his wife died in 2006, Moore moved to the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire to live with his youngest daughter, Hannah, and her family.
The former motorcycle racer slowed down at the age of 98 after falling in 2018 and breaking his hip. A walker replaced his Skoda Yeti, but it kept moving.
At a backyard barbecue in early April last year, Moore’s family challenged him to walk the entire length of the 25-meter driveway. After he made it to the end, his son-in-law encouraged him to keep going. He offered to pay £ 1 for each round and suggested a 100-round goal on Moore’s 100th birthday.
The challenge started to snow from there.
Moore thought he could raise maybe £ 1,000 ($ 1,363) for the doctors and nurses who cared for him after he broke his hip, and his family used social media to publicize “Captain Tom Moore’s 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS . ” First a local radio reporter called, then the national broadcasters. Soon, international media were waiting outside the garden gate.
Pushing his walker up and down the path of the garden, people who were first shut down in the UK from the pandemic watched online. Soon #TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay was trending on Twitter.
“People told me there was something about my little walk that captured the hearts of those still in shock from the crisis,” wrote Moore in his autobiography. “With an increasing number of deaths and the prospect of months of lockdown, everyone was desperate for good news. Apparently, a 99-year-old former army captain who had fought in Burma was recovering from a fractured hip, and doing his part for the NHS was just what they needed. “
Prince Harry, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and dozens of celebrities cheered for him.
But it was the audience that hugged Captain Tom and inundated the village post office with some 6,000 gifts and 140,000 birthday cards. Moore marveled that someone would spend two pounds ($ 2.74) on a card for him and then put on a mask to wait in line at a post office to ship it.
He was made an honorary member of the England cricket team, had a train named after him and was recognized with the Freedom of the City of London award.
Moore enjoyed the awards, but remained focused on others.
He dedicated his autobiography “Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day” to “all who serve on the front lines of a battle – be it military, psychological or medical.”
In the end, Captain Tom urged the public to take care of each other, and he thanked the country he inspired to inspire him.
“I felt a little frustrated and disappointed after breaking my hip and it had lost my confidence,” he said after completing his trek. “In the past three weeks my stride has jumped again. I’ve renewed my goal and loved every second of this thrilling adventure, but I can’t keep walking forever. “