LONDON — Church bells rang out and a World War II-era plane flew over the funeral service of Capt. Tom Moore on Saturday, honoring the veteran who raised millions of pounds for Britain’s health workers by walking laps in his backyard.
[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]
Soldiers performed ceremonial duties at the service for the 100-year-old Moore, whose charity walk inspired the nation and raised almost $46 million for Britain’s National Health Service last year. Captain Tom, as he became known, died Feb. 2 in the hospital after testing positive for covid-19.
The private service was small. But soldiers carried his coffin from the hearse to a crematorium and formed a ceremonial guard. Others performed a gun salute before a C-47 Dakota military transport plane flew past.
A church in Bedfordshire, where the family is based, rang its bell 100 times.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJoox58HaA]
Moore, who served in India, Burma and Sumatra during World War II, set out to raise about $1,400 for Britain’s National Health Service by walking 100 laps of his backyard by his 100th birthday last year. But donations poured in from across Britain and beyond as his quest went viral, catching the imagination of millions of people stuck at home during the first wave of the pandemic.