Captain Sir Tom Moore’s death today aged 100 marks the end of an extraordinary life that saw him go from WWII hero to quiz show star and then a national treasure after walking 100 laps of his garden to raise £33m for the NHS.
The grandfather-of-four’s service in World War Two took him across Asia and the Far East, including tours in India, Burma and Sumatra.
Back in Blighty, spells as an Army tank instructor were interspersed with work at the family building business – while in his spare time he enjoyed riding motorbikes.
The Yorkshire grammar school lad was to shoot to national attention in 1983, when he charmed the audience on hit BBC show Blankety Blank.
Finally, after his heroics during the coronavirus pandemic, he would be knighted by the Queen, made an honorary member of the England cricket team, and be lauded by Britain’s best-known celebrities and politicians.
He also became GQ magazine’s oldest cover star and scored a number one hit with Michael Ball in a charity recording of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
But though his family today rightly recalled his life as an ‘exciting adventure’ it also saw darker moments, including a sexless first marriage that ended in annulment.
In his autobiography, Captain Tom said he had ‘given up on love’ until aged 50 when he met his beloved second wife, Pamela. They went on to have two children, and the veteran went on to become a proud grandfather of four.
Sir Tom Moore (pictured front) along with his grandchildren Benji (left), Georgia (middle left), his daughter Hannah (middle right) and her husband Colin Ingram (right) as they enjoyed the Barbados sunshine. This was to be the final photo of the veteran before his death today
Colonel Tom pictured during the Second World War. Boris Johnson described him as a national treasure during the Covid-19 crisis after raising almost £33million for the NHS
Captain Tom receiving his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony at Windsor Castle. He…
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