Britain bids farewell to pandemic hero Moore

LONDON: Britain bid farewell on Saturday to Captain Tom Moore with a televised funeral for the 100-year-old war veteran who became a global hero for his extraordinary fundraising efforts during the pandemic.

Soldiers formed a guard of honour at the small ceremony held by Moore’s family at a crematorium in Bedford in central England.

Six soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment, the successor to the one Moore served in during World War II, carried his coffin, draped with the Union Jack and his military cap and sword as 14 soldiers gave a firing salute.

A World War Ii-era plane from a nearby RAF base flew over the crematorium and later a bugler sounded the Last Post, followed by a minute’s silence.

“The Armed Forces are immensely proud to contribute to the celebration of his extraordinary life of service,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

Moore died on Feb.2 ater being treated for pneumonia and testing positive for COVID-19.

He raised nearly £33 million ($45 million, 37.4 million euros) for healthcare charities by completing 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday in April last year.

The image of the stooped but dapper veteran, leaning on his walking frame and rarely seen without shining military service medals pinned to his blazer, and a regimental tie, was a rare good news story in a gloomy year.

Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in the summer of 2020 and a wreath was laid on her behalf on Saturday at a war memorial in the town of Keighley in Yorkshire, northern England, where Moore was born.