THE funeral service for Captain Sir Tom Moore is taking place in Bedford this afternoon.
Known to the nation as Captain Tom, his fundraising efforts at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic captured hearts and raised millions of pounds for NHS charities.
The former British Army officer completed 100 laps of his garden in the run-up to his 100th birthday last spring.
Captain Tom died in hospital on February 2 after testing positive for Covid-19.
At Bedford Crematorium this afternoon, the celebrant conducting the funeral service said: “It’s quite incredible to think that 163 countries donated to (Sir Tom’s) fundraiser – that’s almost the whole world."
He continued: “As wonderful as we think our NHS is, people from other countries really aren’t going to be interested in our health, so it seems obvious to me that they were really investing in Captain Tom and the values he stood for.
“He was a proud British veteran and a gentleman, he lived in a multi-generational environment, not only would that have kept him young, but also symbolises the importance of family to him.
“What sacrifices did he and his peers make in defence of our freedom, a man with a strong moral compass, a strong work ethic, a sense of pride and an indomitable spirit.
“He serves as an inspiration to us all to never give up and always stay strong knowing tomorrow will be a better day.”
The celebrant also read the poem A Happy Man by Edwin Arlington Robinson, which features the words: “Children that I leave behind, And their children, all were kind; Near to them and to my wife; I was happy all my life.”
At the beginning of the service, members of the Yorkshire Regiment lifted Sir Captain Tom Moore’s coffin from the hearse.
A number of special items were placed on Captain Tom’s coffin, including a replica of his service cap from the Second World War and a wreath from the Yorkshire Regiment.
Also among the items were his campaign medals, including the Burma Star, and his knighthood medal stitched on to a cushion.
There was also a specially commissioned sword engraved with the motto of the Yorkshire Regiment on one side – “Fortune favours the brave”.
Engraved on the other side was his own personal motto: “Tomorrow will be a good day”.
A Dakota performed a fly-pass ahead of a three-round gun salute by a firing party before the coffin was carried into the building.
The service opened with a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone that Captain Tom recorded with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir, reaching number one last year.
Captain Sir Tom’s Moore daughter Lucy Teixeira laughed as she recalled how her father talked to her about concrete pipes to help calm her wedding-day jitters.
She also recalled the awful day Sir Tom lost his wife – the same day he had taken his grandson to see the type of tank he had served in during the war at a military museum.
“We often talked about milestones in your life and laughed about the possibility of you reaching your 100th birthday,” she said.
“You said ‘it’s just a number, I don’t feel any different’ and right to the end you ignored the number and kept on going, urging us all to keep on going with the mantra ‘tomorrow will be a good day’.
“You have always influenced me with your strength, your energy, your drive, to get out of bed with a spring in your step and a purpose in mind.
“I know you will be watching us chuckling, saying ‘don’t be too sad as something has to get you in the end’.
“Daddy, I am so proud of you, what you achieved your whole life and especially in the last year, you may be gone, but your message and your spirit lives on.”
Captain Tom's grandson Benjie said: “If there is a lesson I have learned from living with you the last 13 years, it’s the power of positivity and kindness, I truly do not believe I would be the person I am today without your sound guidance.
“Our chats mid-afternoon that were only supposed to last a few minutes quickly turned into hour-long conversations, quickly delving into so many thought-provoking avenues. These are memories I will never forget and ones I am incredibly grateful to have.
“I can’t imagine how many pieces of my sports equipment would have stayed broken without your ever-trusted super glue.
“I suppose the tables turned in the later years when so often it was Georgia or me fixing something on your phone.”
He continued: “Growing up with you every day, the smell of porridge as I came downstairs was almost a sign to know everything was okay.”
Benjie added that his grandfather sneaking leftovers to the dogs “filled the morning with more than a bit of joy”.
Captain Tom's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said in her eulogy: “We had the happiness of a stable family life, peppered with the excitement of intrepid camping trips across Europe which gave our young minds a window on the world that you said was our oyster to open.”
She described her father moving in with them after her mother’s death as “the most amazing, multi-generational life journey, thriving on the wealth of knowledge and the knowledge we in turn gave to you”.
Ms Ingram-Moore added: “Your relationship with (your grandchildren) was a constant remember of how lucky we were to have you as a father and of that special bond we have.”
She continued: “We know, because you told everyone who would listen, that you relished this next phase of your life.
“We respected your values, your independence and your space, and you did the same for us, we felt your love and we know you felt our love for you.”
Ms Ingram-Moore added: “We are so proud of the way you handled everything that happened, we had been so close as a family before this but we were thrust even closer together as the world became enthralled by your spirit of hope, positivity and resilience.
“They, too, saw your belief in kindness and the fundamental goodness of the human spirit.”
She continued: “You are not a man in the habit of sharing your inner feelings but this time together evoked an honesty between us that felt as magical as you becoming a beacon of light and hope to the world.
“You are the fabric of our life and home, every cupboard that we open, each door that we go through, you are there.”
She added: “The loss of you is a dull physical ache for me, but the power of the love you left us with allows us to stay strong.
“Our relationship cannot be broken by death, you will be with me always”.
Captain Tom's funeral service ended with The Last Post, played by Alex Browne of the Yorkshire Regiment Band.
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