her majesty the queen and the prime
minister boris johnson have led the many
tributes to captain sir tom moore
who's died at the age of a hundred he
was admitted to hospital for pneumonia
in january and then again a few days ago
as his family confirmed he tested
positive for coronavirus
so tom was a veteran of the second world
war who raised almost 39 million pounds
for nhs charities during the first
lockdown last year
and that remarkable achievement led to
nationwide fame
and earned him the respect and
admiration of millions
sir tom said the pinnacle of the past
year for him was being knighted by the
queen
at windsor last summer as our
correspondent
david cylito reports now he's a 99 year
old best he's a one-man fundraising
machine
captain sir tom moore the word
inspirational
is rather an understatement that's the
way i think i've always looked to see
tomorrow will be a good day
what began as a little family challenge
to do a hundred laps of his garden
became a fundraising juggernaut
on new year's eve the face of 2020
was captain tom
he was born in keithley in 1920 and had
served in burma during the war
after that he'd run a business the
closest he'd ever come to fame
was an appearance on blankety black tom
have you got
a family or anybody you'd rather not be
watching this yes
two girls yes coming up 16 coming up 14.
but everything changed when his family
set up a fundraising page for
captain tom the hope was to raise a
thousand pounds for nhs charities to
support the nurses and doctors during
the pandemic
but just over a week later the total had
passed a million pounds
and by the time he celebrated his
hundredth birthday the total had topped
30 million
he also had a number one single
[Music]
captain tom had become known the world
over he received
140 000 birthday cards the regimental
model
he was made an honorary colonel
he received a knighthood
and the raf staged a birthday fly past
[Music]
i'm absolutely delighted with all the
people like you who
have come to wish me a money happy
birthday
it's been an extraordinary 10 months the
final entry on his wish list was an
end-of-year trip to barbados
and then earlier this week it was
announced that he had pneumonia
and had tested positive for the
coronavirus
leading the tributes today a statement
from buckingham palace
the queen said her thoughts and those of
the royal family are with them
recognizing the inspiration he provided
for the whole nation
and others across the world in downing
street
the union flags were at half-mast
captain
sir 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 this country's
deepest post-war crisis
he united us all
captain tom described it as a fairy tale
but during some dark months it was his
good cheer
that became a little source of joy for
millions never ever anticipate ever in
my life anything like this
it really is about amazing and i'm
saying to everyone thank you very much
to everyone
wherever you are
[Music]
today's tributes to captain sir tom
moore the champion fundraiser
and lockdown hero who died at the age of
a hundred and with me to reflect on a
very long and fruitful life
and indeed a remarkable last year of his
life
in sir tom's case is mark easton our
home editor and i'm just thinking mark
this really is a kind of combination of
factors isn't it
the right man at the right time for what
people needed
absolutely i think britain absolutely
needed captain tom when the
the pandemic was making us question
everything he was he was a
representative
of the greatest generation that the men
and women shaped by wartime sacrifice
who understood what it meant
meant by duty and resilience and and
humility
walking up and down his garden up and
down
uh uncomplainingly doing his his bit
and i think captain tom you know in his
in his his
medals and his regimental blazer he
linked us back to something that many in
britain see almost as this country's
finest hour the second world war and he
he won the affection i think of of the
whole nation
old and young as as lockdown required us
to
to furlough our freedoms this old
soldier was sort of epitomizing how we'd
like to see ourselves in a in a crisis
because as well as the
indomitable spirit there was always a a
twinkle in his eye a joke and a and a
laugh and when we needed it most as the
virus raged and we
struggled to hold it together captain
tom
kept on walking up and down up and down
mark many thanks mark easton uh with his
thoughts on
captains of tom's life and contribution