kids encyclopedia robot

Captain Tom facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids

Tom Moore
Tom Moore (soldier).jpg
British Army photo of Moore as a second lieutenant (c. 1941)
Born
Thomas Moore

(1920-04-30)30 April 1920
Died 2 February 2021(2021-02-02) (aged 100)
Cause of death COVID-19 complicated by pneumonia
Alma mater Keighley Grammar School
Occupation
Known for
  • World War II veteran
  • 2020 NHS Charities Together fundraising walk
  • UK No. 1 single
Spouse(s)
Billie
(m. 1949, divorced)
Pamela
(m. 1968; died 2006)
Children 2
Awards
Military career
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1939–1946
Rank
Unit
  • Duke of Wellington's Regiment
  • 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
  • 146th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
Battles/wars World War II

Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April, 1920 – 2 February, 2021), informally known as Captain Tom, was a former British Army officer. He was known for his philanthropic work. Moore was in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War. He later became an instructor in armoured warfare.

Biography and career

After the war, he worked as managing director of a concrete company and was a motorcycle racer. He was born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire.

On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99, he began to walk around his garden to raise money for NHS Charities Together during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his hundredth birthday. By 27 April he had raised over £29 million. He co-recorded a cover version of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone", which topped the UK music charts and made him the oldest person in history to have a number one single.

On 6 July 2020 Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight.

In December 2020 Moore took a family holiday to Barbados after British Airways paid for his flight.

Children's books

There are a couple of great children's books written about Captain Tom. "One Hundred Steps: The Story of Captain Sir Tom Moore" written by Captain Sir Tom Moore himself and "Captain Tom" in the "Little People, Big Dreams" series number 51, by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara.

Illness and death

On 31 January 2021, Moore was hospitalized to Bedford Hospital after testing positive with COVID-19 and being treated for pneumonia. On the 2 February, he died with the illness aged 100.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tom Moore (militar) para niños

kids search engine
Captain Tom Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.