British vet walked around backyard to support front-line workers
LONDON—Capt. Tom Moore, the Second World War veteran who walked into the hearts of a nation in lockdown as he shuffled up and down his garden to raise money for health-care workers has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 100.
“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,” the family’s statement said.
“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.”
Captain Tom, as he became known in newspaper headlines and TV interviews, set out to raise £1,000 ($1,750 Canadian) for Britain’s National Health Service by walking 100 laps of his backyard. But his quest went viral and caught the imagination of millions stuck at home during the first wave of the pandemic. Donations poured in from across Britain and as far away as the U.S. and Japan, raising £33 million.
For three weeks in April, fans were greeted with daily videos of Captain Tom, stooped with
age, doggedly pushing his walker in the garden. But it was his sunny attitude during a dark moment that inspired people to look beyond illness and loss.
“Please always remember, tomorrow will be a good day,” Moore said, uttering the words that became his trademark.
When Captain Tom finished his 100th lap on April 16, a military honour guard lined the path. The celebration continued on his birthday a few days later, when two Second World War-era fighter planes flew overhead. Moore, a plaid blanket over his shoulders, pumped a fist to the tribute.
In July, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a socially distanced ceremony at Windsor Castle. The monarch, 94, used an impossibly long sword to confer the honour as Moore, wearing his wartime medals on his chest, leaned on his walker and beamed.
Born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, on April 30, 1920, Moorerose
to the rank of captain while serving in India, Burma and Sumatra. In 1946, Moore went to work for the family construction firm. After that failed, he became a manager for building materials companies. When the concrete company he was working for was threatened with closure, Moore rounded up a group of investors and bought it, preserving 60 jobs.
The former motorcycle racer finally slowed down after he fell and broke his hip in 2018. A walker replaced the Skoda Yeti he drove until he was 98, but he kept moving.