2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> World> Content
Wednesday, February 03, 2021, 18:24
UK mourns 'hero' Captain Tom Moore with flowers and lights
By Reuters
Wednesday, February 03, 2021, 18:24 By Reuters

A tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore is broadcast on the Piccadilly Circus lights in central London on Feb 3, 2021 in memory of charity fundraiser who died Tuesday in Bedford hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. (VICTORIA JONES / PA VIA AP)

MARSTON MORETAINE, England - With flowers and lights, Britain paid tribute on Wednesday to Captain Tom Moore, 100, who touched the hearts of millions by offering a simple message of hope and self-sacrifice during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Moore, who raised tens of millions of pounds for the National Health Service by walking up and down his garden, died on Tuesday in Bedford Hospital after suffering COVID-19 and pneumonia. He had been fighting cancer for 5 years.

Amid the death and gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, war veteran Captain Tom Moore’s wit and inspiration struck a chord with millions: his message to the world was that the sun would shine again

Outside his home in Marston Moretaine, 50 miles (80 km) north of London, bchildren laid flowers. One message read: “Rest in Peace Captain Tom. We love you. X.”

“You will always be our hero,” read another message. “Thank you for your warmth and your wonderful smile. Rest in Peace.”

His picture was shown on Piccadilly Circus in central London while the London Eye, Wembley Stadium and the Blackpool Tower shone lights of honour.

Condolences poured in from Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and even the White House while soccer players, school children and his family shed tears for a man who millions consider a lockdown hero.

Floral tributes left for Captain Tom Moore on the village green in Marston Moretaine, England, Feb 3, 2021. (ALASTAIR GRANT / AP)Amid the death and gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, war veteran Moore’s wit and inspiration struck a chord with millions: his message to the world was that the sun would shine again.

ALSO READ: UK fundraising hero Tom Moore hospitalized with COVID-19

“For all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment: the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away,” said Moore, dressed in a blazer and tie and displaying his war medals, after completing his walk in April.

“You’ve all got to remember that we will get through it in the end, it will all be right, it might take time,” Moore said. “At the end of the day we shall all be ok again.”

Liverpool's iconic Liver Building is lit blue on Feb 3, 2021, in memory of charity fundraiser Captain Tom Moore, who died Tuesday in Bedford hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. Many iconic buildings have been illuminated blue to honor Captain Tom. (PETER BRYNE /PA VIA AP)

Raised in Yorkshire, northern England, Moore served in India, Burma and Sumatra during World War Two. Always polite and dapper in public, Moore had a mischievous humor.

When asked about speculation he would be knighted by the queen, he quipped that he would find it funny to be known as “Sir Thomas Moore” - a reference to the Tudor statesman.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

“Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Captain Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year,” Buckingham Palace said. “Her thoughts and those of the Royal Family are with them.”

Health Minister Matt Hancock said the country would mark his memory.

“We should find a way to make sure that we mark the memory of Captain Tom and thank him for the contribution that he made for the NHS (health service),” Hancock told BBC television.

READ MORE: Israel says supplied first COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians

“He touched the heart of the nation and we should remember that.”

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !