War hero Captain Sir Tom Moore dies
The WWII hero who raised £33 million for the NHS and was knighted by the Queen last year passed away, surrounded by his family. After they announced his death, HM The Queen sent messages of condolence. A statement from Buckingham Palace read: ‘The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Captain Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year. Her thoughts and those of the Royal Family are with them.’
His daughters, Hannah and Lucy, released the following statement:
‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore. We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
'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. 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.
'The care our father received from the NHS and carers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary. They have been unfalteringly professional, kind and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined. Over the past few days our father spoke a great deal about the last 12 months and how proud he felt at being able to leave behind the growing legacy of his Foundation.
'We politely ask for privacy at this time so we can grieve quietly as a family and remember the wonderful 100 years our father had. Thank you.'
The last word goes to Sir Tom himself, who said, last April, “Things will certainly get better. They’ve always got better. The last two wars that I’m talking about — we battled and we won. Today, with this battle with this unseen enemy, we shall win in the end. There’s no doubt about it. And everything will get a lot better.”