Britain’s walking hero awarded knighthood
He raised more than £33m for the NHS
Captain Tom Moore, who became a national hero in Britain after raising more than £33 million (Dh148 million) for the National Health Service in the runup to his 100th birthday, was knighted yesterday.
Moore becomes “Sir Tom” after a special nomination from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Second World War veteran raised the record sum by painstakingly completing 100 laps of his garden with the aid of a walking frame, becoming a symbol of British endurance in the face of the adversity of the coronavirus crisis.
Outstanding honour
Earlier, Moore said it was an outstanding honour and that he was looking forward to meeting Queen Elizabeth, 94.
“I hope she’s not very heavy handed with the sword,” Moore said. “By then I might be rather a poor old weak soul.”
A knighthood is bestowed by the monarch tapping a sword on the recipient’s shoulders. Asked what he will tell the queen, Moore said: “Any discussion between me and the queen will have to be kept secret.”
Last month he quipped that he would find it funny to be known as “Sir Thomas Moore” — a reference to the Tudor statesman Sir Thomas More.
“I am overawed by the fact that this has happened to me,” he said.
The honour is the latest bestowed on Moore. For his 100th birthday last month, he was made an honorary colonel and an honorary member of the England cricket team.
Johnson said Moore had inspired the country and provided “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus”.