Farewell for UK’S favourite old soldier
Church bells rang out and a World War Ii-era plane flew yesterday over the funeral service of Captain Tom Moore to honour of the veteran who single-handedly raised millions of pounds for Britain’s health workers by walking laps in his backyard.
Soldiers performed ceremonial duties at the private service for Moore, who died on February 2 at age 100 after testing positive for Covid-19. Captain Tom, as he became known, inspired the UK during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic with his humble endeavour that raised almost £33 million pounds (NZ$63 million) for Britain’s National Health Service last year.
The private service was small, attended by just eight members of the veteran’s immediate family. But soldiers carried his coffin, draped in the Union flag, from the hearse to a crematorium and formed a ceremonial guard. Others performed a gun salute before a C-47 Dakota military transport plane flew past.
‘‘Daddy, you always told us ‘Best foot forward’ and true to your word, that’s what you did last year,’’ Moore’s daughter Lucy Teixeira said at the service. ‘‘I know you will be watching us chuckling, saying ‘Don’t be too sad as something has to get you in the end.’‘‘
His other daughter, Hannah Ingram-moore, said the world was ‘‘enthralled’’ by her father’s ‘‘spirit of hope, positivity and resilience.’’
‘‘They, too, saw your belief in kindness and the fundamental goodness of the human spirit,’’ she said.
The service featured music that reflected the man being honoured, opening with the rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone that Moore recorded for charity with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir.
The song reached number one in the UK singles charts last April.
Singer Michael Buble recorded a version of Smile for the funeral, and as requested by Moore, Frank Sinatra’s My Way’’ was played. A bugler sounded
The Last Post to close the service.