NATIONAL hero Captain Sir Tom Moore, who sadly died today, used to be based at Bovington Army Camp in Dorset.
The grandfather, who turned 100 at the end of April last year, raised a total of £32.7 million for the NHS after vowing to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.
He passed away in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 - and tributes are flooding in from across Dorset.
We are very sorry to hear of the death of @captaintommoore. Everyone within University Hospitals Dorset is grateful to him for everything he did for us - he was without a doubt the most inspirational fundraiser of our times. pic.twitter.com/UE6P46CmAl
— University Hospitals Dorset (@UHD_NHS) February 2, 2021
We are very sad to hear the news today that Captain Sir Tom Moore has passed away at the age of 100. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.
— Dorset Police (@dorsetpolice) February 2, 2021
We salute you. https://t.co/oAYpryVzFZ
Captain Sir Tom served in the Second World War, after being selected for officer training in 1940 and completing postings in India and Sumatra.
After his return to England, he worked as an instructor at Bovington camp's armoured fighting vehicle school.
He visited the Tank Museum in Dorset in 2007 to donate some of his papers and photographs, which museum staff said were very gratefully received.
The museum in Bovington said the money he had raised was “incredible” and they would be very happy to welcome him as a visitor again, when it is safe to do so.
We were honoured to host Captain Sir Tom Moore at The Tank Museum, in 2007. He served with distinction in the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War and carried on serving his country through the recent pandemic. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family. pic.twitter.com/NZDqpZbbOl
— The Tank Museum (@TankMuseum) February 2, 2021
His efforts proved an inspiration to people coming to terms with the coronavirus pandemic and donations poured in from all over the world.
Very sadly, the 100-year-old charity fundraiser died in hospital today, after being treated for pneumonia for some time and testing positive for the virus the week before last.
In a statement, Capt Sir Tom's daughters Mrs Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore.
"We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.
"We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
"The last year of our father's life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he'd only ever dreamed of.
"Whilst he'd been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever."
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