LONDON – ‘I told you I was old’ will be the tombstone on the tombstone of Captain Sir Tom Moore, the British veteran who made headlines worldwide after raising millions for the British health service during the coronavirus pandemic.
Moore, whose funeral took place on Saturday, chose the words before he died on February 2 at the age of 100, in a hospital in England after testing positive for Covid-19.
Queen Elizabeth II, the British Parliament and the White House, who say he ‘inspired millions by his life and actions’, all paid tribute to the World War II veteran over the news of his death earlier this month.
Dressed in a brave jacket and tie and displaying his World War II medals, Moore struck a chord with locked Britons last year as he walked up and down the garden of his home in Marston Moretaine, a small town about 50 miles north of London, to raise money for the National Health Service.
After initially wanting to raise just $ 1,400, he raised nearly $ 33 million ($ 46 million).
With a mischievous mind and firm determination, he lifted the spirits and called him a national hero. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July.
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Moore’s funeral, which he played an important role in the planning, was held at the Bedford Crematorium near his home.
In line with Britain’s Covid-19 restrictions, only eight members of his immediate family attended the funeral. His two daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira, four grandchildren and his sons-in-law – all with face masks.
Wrapped in a trade union flag, his coffin was carried by soldiers during World War II. C-47 Dakota aircraft performed an honorary flight past.
Moore’s epitaph reflects his humor and reads: ‘I told you I was old’, a reference to the famous tombstone of the British comedian Spike Milligan: “I told you I was ill.” Moore was a big fan, his family said.
They also supported a global initiative to plant millions of trees so that his legacy could live on.
Moore grew up in the northern county of Yorkshire and served in India, Burma and Sumatra during the war.
After praising his garden shops, he recorded a number one pop song and wrote a book.
“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experiencing things he had never dreamed of,” his daughters said after his death.
Reuters contributed to this report.
