He was one of the ‘forgotten soldiers’ who served in the Far East.
As the majority of attention was being drawn towards gruelling, often tragic, battles in Europe and Africa, Captain Tom Moore was confronted by even harsher challenges fighting the Japanese rear-guard, in Burma, during World War II.
Some 75 years on and, approaching his 100th birthday, Cpt. Tom was at the fore again as, with walking-frame at hand, he raised well over £30 million for NHS charities, who are at the forefront in the UK in the global ‘war’ against the pandemic that is coronavirus, by walking 100 lengths of his garden in Marston Moretaine, in Bedfordshire.
A lot has happened to the war veteran since attention was first drawn to him.
He was meant to raise £1,000 – but that rose to an extraordinary £30m on his birthday – and still rising – he reached No.1 in the pop charts with his duet with Michael Ball, with their rendition of ‘Walk On’ (he became the oldest person to reach No.1), he was mad an honorary Colonel of the British Army, an honorary member of the England cricket team and, to top-of birthday celebrations, there was that memorable RAF Battle of Britain flypast as a Spitfire and Hurricane flew over his home.
And, of course, he, in reaching 100-years-old, received a telegraph from The Queen – not to take away the 130,000 plus birthday card he received from all over the world.
Colonel. Tom said: “It is extraordinary to turn 100, especially with this many well-wishers.
“Reaching 100 is quite something. With so much interest in me and the generosity from so many people is quite overwhelming.
The NHS, key workers and the UK at large ‘doft their collective caps to Colonel Tom Moore, because, as the ‘fight’ sees no immediate end, as a true hero said himself; “Tomorrow will be a better day”.
It will be a lot better if it was ‘Sir Tom Moore’?
