A Tribute to the Amazing Life of Captain Sir Tom Moore

This has been a strange week and I have had moments when I have felt sad and then I realised that I am mourning the death of Captain Sir Tom Moore. I am, like everyone, lifted up by good news about the ways we have all come together to support each other since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic and miss seeing and hearing about his amazing life and current fundraising efforts.

I really hope we will all continue to remember Captain Sir Tom Moore after saying our final goodbyes today after he is laid to rest in his hometown. To help everyone keep his legacy alive I wanted to share some of the amazing facts about the phenomenal Captain Tom Sir Moore.

Military Service

·      Six months after WW2 Tom was conscripted and joined the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington Regiment.

·      Tom was selected for officer training and became a member of the Royal Armoured Corps on 22 October 1941.

·      During Tom’s service in India he was in charge of the training programme for army motorcyclists.

·      Tom survived dengue fever during his time in the Fourteenth Army, often referred to as the Forgotten Army.

·      Tom came back to the UK on February 1945 and became the Technical Adjutant of the Armoured Vehicle Fighting School in Dorset, until it was demobilised in 1946.

·      Tom, for 64 years, also organised the longest continual annual reunion of the 8th Battalion’s annual reunion, in the Duke of Wellington Regiment.

Personal Life

·      Tom divorced his first wife, Billie, whom he marries in 1949. 

·      Tom married again in January 1968, to his Pamela and has two daughters, Lucy and Hannah.

·      Pamela struggled with her mental health and for the last years of her life lived in a secure nursing facility where Tom visited her every day until she passed in 2006.

·      In 2008 Tom moved in with his daughter Hannah, her husband, and two children.

·      Tom got up early every day, always made sure he was dressed smartly and although he was helped during his later life by carers, Tom was always incredibly independent

·      Prior to Tom’s amazing fundraising effort to walk, 100, 25 meter lengths of his garden, he had undergone a double knee replacement and a hip replacement.

Tom's 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS

·      On the 6th of April 2020, aged 99 Tom started his fundraising walk for NHS Charities Together.

·      Tom set up a Twitter account on the 16th April 2020, to thank everyone for contributing to his fundraising effort.

·      Tom pledged to continue walking 25 metres of his garden every day until he reached 200 lengths.

·      When Tom turned 100 years old he had raised ￡32,796,475, from more than 1.5 million individual donations, the most money raised with a JustGiving page ever recorded.

·      At the end of his fundraising campaign, Tom with the help of his family set up the Captain Tom Foundation to encourage individuals to continue fundraising for the NHS.

Tom’s 100th Birthday celebrations 

·      Tom received 150,000 birthday cards on his 100th birthday. 

·      All the Royal Mail stamped post, between 26 April and 1 May was postmarked "Happy 100th Birthday Captain Thomas Moore NHS fundraising hero 30th April 2020".

·      On his 100th birthday the Royal Mail post box nearest to where he lived was decorated with a golden balloon, an inscription and painted the same shade of blue used by the NHS.

·      For his 100th birthday a Hawker Hurricane, a Spitfire and two Army Air Corps helicopters, a Wildcat and an Apache performed 2 separate flypast’s over Toms house.

·      Tom also received Birthday congratulations from Prince Charles, Boris Johnson, Harry Kane, and António Guterres the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

·      The Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis gave Tom his 100th Birthday Card with a personalised 100th birthday message from Queen Elizabeth II.

·      On his 100th birthday Tom received the Yorkshire Regiment Medal for his "outstanding contribution to our military effectiveness and military reputation".

·      Tom was also appointed the first Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College, a training centre for soldiers under 18, on his 100th birthday.

·      Boris named Tom "Point of Light" on his 100th birthday.

·      Michael Ball sang "Happy Birthday to You" to Tom on BBC Breakfast.

Even more amazing feats of Tom’s

·      Tom opened, the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, in Harrogate, via video link, on the 21st of April, 2020 and he was awarded a Knighthood by the Principality of Sealand.

·      Following thousands of nominations, Tom was also given a Pride of Britain award on the 21st of April, 2020.

·      Michael Ball’s live performance of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was made into a single featuring the NHS Voices of Care Choir, and Tom’s own words.

·      The single You'll Never Walk Alone reached to Number 1 in the weekly "Official" UK Singles Chart, on the 24th of April, 2020, with all proceeds going to NHS Charities Together.

Tom’s Knighthood

Following a special nomination made by Boris on the 19th of May, it was announced Tom would be awarded a knighthood. Tom was the only person honoured with a knighthood at Windsor Castle, on the 17th of July; the Queen's used the sword that had belonged to her father George VI.

A few more fun facts

·      Tom enjoyed competitive motorcycle racing and rode a Scott motorcycle.

·      Tom was a participant on the special Christmas Day, 1983, BBC Television game show Blankety Blank.

·      Tom and Michael Ball duetted, a cappella which was the first verse of their number one hit single.

·      Tom was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Cranfield University, near Moore's home in Bedfordshire.

·      During the University of Bradford, 2020 Graduation Ceremonies, Tom was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ)

·      Tom became the first member and captain of the Football Association and England National Football Team's Lionhearts squad.

·      Tom’s official portrait painted by Alexander Chamberlin is in the collection of the National Army Museum.

Tom and the Media

·      The ITV, screened a 30-minute documentary, Captain Toms War featuring Tom speaking about his military experiences.

·      The ITV also broadcast The Life Times of Captain Sir Tom on the 13th of August, 2020.

·      Tom was a guest on an episode of Piers Morgan Life Stories on the 13th of September.

·      Tom was the oldest ever person to feature on the front cover of British GQ magazine who named Tom "Inspiration of the Year" in November 2020, Men of the Year edition.

·      Moore held two Guinness World Records, the first for raising the most money with his charity walk and the second for having a number one single in the UK charts, aged 100 years old.

Captain Tom Moore namesakes

·      The bus company, Stagecoach East, in Bedford named one a double-decker buses Captain Tom Moore.

·      The Great Western Railway named a Class 800 train, Captain Tom Moore and GB Railfreight named a Class 66, Capt. Tom Moore – A True British Inspiration.

·      Hornby Railways produced a model locomotive, which sold in record numbers and donated ￡140,000 to NHS Charities from the proceeds.

·      West Midlands Police held an online vote to name a puppy that would be trained as a police dog and the puppy was consequently named Captain Tom Moore.

·      Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service named a powerboat Captain Tom.

Saying Goodbye to Captain Sir Tom Moore

·      Tom passed at his home, from COVID-19 on the 2nd of February, aged 100.

·      The NHS Twitter account issued a statement saying "Thanks for everything, Sir Tom ?".

·      Buckingham Palace issued a statement " 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".

·      Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Moore "a hero in the truest sense of the word" and announced that the flags above 10 and 11 Downing Street would be flown at half mast as a sign of respect.

·      The nation clapped for Moore at 6 pm on the day after he died, the 3rd of February.

·      On the 3rd of February Heart Radio DJ Amanda Holden launched a campaign calling for an official memorial statue of Moore to be erected.

·      A one-minute silence in honour of Moore was observed by both Houses of Parliament on the 3rd of February.

·      Captain Tom: We Salute You, was a BBC News Special programme, rebroadcast on the 3rd of February.

·      On the 4th of February, Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, issued a statement of condolences, on behalf of herself and her nation, after learning Captain Sir Tom Moore had passed away.

·      Today Tom is laid to rest in his family town with his funeral being televised to give everyone an opportunity to bid him goodbye.

The Captain Tom Foundation has an online Book of Condolence, please leave a message if you want to or just enjoy reading the many wonderful tributes that have already been left.

‘We can all make a difference and we will aspire to ensure Tom’s message of hope becomes and enduring legacy’

https://captaintom.org/

WIDB Executive Content producer, Annabelle Baugh - ACB Creative https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/acb-creative-business-services/