#RespectYourElders, Sir Captain Tom Moore was a British Army officer in WWII who raised almost £33 million in aid of NHS Charities Together, a group of charities supporting first-responders and patients of the pandemic in the British National Health Service. He recently passed away from COVID-19 complications but leaves behind an unforgettable legacy.
Moore was born in 1920 in Yorkshire, England. By the time he was a young adult, WWII had broken out in Europe and he enlisted to serve in the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Shortly after, Moore was selected for officer training and then commissioned as a second lieutenant. He then became a member of the Royal Armoured Corps and was transferred to Bombay, India.
Moore participated in the Battle of Ramree Island in Burma, now known as Myanmar, against Japanese soldiers — a gruesome fight that ended with a British victory. By this time, he had risen to the rank of captain and served as an instructor at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington, Dorset.
After the war, Moore became a sales manager for roofing material in Yorkshire. In his free time he competitively raced motorcycles. Moore lived a relatively quiet life until 2020.
In early April of 2020 as Moore’s 100th birthday approached, he launched a fundraising campaign for NHS Charities Together. His goal? To complete one hundred 27-yard lengths of his garden, at a rate of ten lengths per day, to raise $1,000. Over the course of 24 days, he became an international phenomena. More than 1.5 million global donors helped him raise nearly €33 million (closer to $40 million in dollars). He holds a Guinness World Record for the largest sum ever raised by an individual charity walk.
Later in the month and with his growing popularity, he became the oldest person ever to get to number one in the UK singles charts with his duet of You’ll Never Walk Alone with singer Michael Ball. He then launched the Captain Tom Foundation, which raises and disburses money to support charities that combat loneliness, support hospices, and help those who are experiencing loss.
In July of 2020, Moore was knighted at Windsor Castle for his fundraising efforts. His autobiography “Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day: My Autobiography,” was released later in the summer and became The Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller.
Tragically, Moore passed away in early February after testing positive for the coronavirus.
“To all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away,” Moore said last year.
Thank you for being an inspiration to people everywhere, Captain Tom!