BRITISH VOGUE
Captain Sir Thomas Moore, popularly known as Captain Tom, is a former British Army officer known for his achievements raising money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He captured the imagination of the British public in the early stages of the crisis in the UK by doing sponsored laps of his garden (100 in the lead-up to his 100th birthday) aiming to raise £1,000. With growing media interest and public support, his eventual total reached more than £37 million.
We chose photographer Alasdair McLelland for his ability to communicate a relaxed, uplifting beauty from his subjects and he went to Captain Moore’s home to capture him at a safe distance.
At 99-years-old, it was perhaps unlikely that Captain Moore thought fame would suddenly find him. But over the course of several weeks, life would take an incredible turn for the World War II veteran. In April, as his 100th birthday approached and the UK was experiencing the full force of coronavirus, Captain Tom – as he would become known – decided to help raise funds for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden aided by his walking frame. His goal was to raise £1,000, but as word spread of his endeavours in the media, the donations poured in. Within days he had raised £500,000, and as he completed the 100 laps he vowed to do the same again. On 30th April, as he turned 100, he celebrated his century with donations exceeding £32 million. The Prime Minister and Prince Charles filmed birthday greetings, and the Queen sent a personalised card. A flyover was given in his honour, and on 20th May, he received a knighthood for his fundraising efforts. He has had a number-one single, there is a forthcoming memoir, and his work will continue through the newly launched Captain Tom Foundation. “I feel hopeful that, after this, throughout the world nation after nation will be friends with one another, whatever their race, class or religion,” he told Vogue. “At the end of the day, no one will walk alone.”