Decorated knight by Queen Elizabeth II, World War II veteran Tom Moore was famous for taking a hundred laps around his home garden in his centenary
Captain Tom Moore died after being hospitalized with coronavirus. The 100-year-old Briton, who fought in the Second World War, was taken to Bedford Hospital last Sunday, 31, with breathing difficulties. He tested positive for the disease before he had a chance to get the Covid-19 vaccine. The veteran became famous after celebrating his 100th birthday by taking a hundred laps around the garden of his home in Bedfordshire. The objective was to raise one million pounds to fight the pandemic, but in the end he managed to raise 33 million pounds that were destined for the National Health Service of the UK. The gesture caused the captain to be decorated knight for Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in July 2020.
According to the BBC television station, the monarch paid tribute to the captain acknowledging the “inspiration he provided for the entire nation and others around the world”. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Tom Moore was a “hero in the truest sense of the word”. “In the dark days of the Second World War, he fought for freedom and in the face of the deepest crisis in this country since the post-war period he united us all, he cheered us and he embodied the triumph of the human spirit,” wrote the premier . The veteran’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, told British TV that she and her family spent Tom Moore’s last hours sharing tears and laughter.
Before his death, the National Health Service said the veteran had been an “inspiration for the country” and encouraged others to do “crazy and different things to support charity and give extra help to the health system”. “The funds he raised are making a significant difference in the National Health Service at the moment,” said the organization’s chief executive, Ellie Orton. She reported in an interview with the BBC that the money is being used to provide extra emotional support for health workers and to buy iPads for patients who are isolated from their families.
