Captain Tom Moore: Books about the national treasure

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Captain Sir Tom Moore, who captured the nation’s hearts during the first national lockdown after raising more than £32m for NHS Charities Together, has died at the age of 100 after contracting Covid-19. 

The news was announced by his daughters, Hannah-Ingram Moore and Lucy Teixeira, on Tuesday 2 February. Their statement said: "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."

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The centenarian became a national treasure in April 2020. Two weeks after Boris Johnson asked the country to stay at home, while most of us were embarking on Zoom quizzes, Captain Moore pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS. 

His goal was a humble £1,000, but just 24 days later, on his 100th birthday, the captain had raised more than £32 million (estimated to be closer to £40 million with gift aid rebates). Captain Moore was knighted by the Queen in July, following his charitable efforts. 

He went on to break two Guinness world records, raising the most amount of money for an individual charity walk and becoming the oldest artist to have a UK No 1 single for his cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care choir. 

Growing up in Yorkshire, he trained to be a civil engineer before joining the army. In 1940, he was selected for officer training and rose through the ranks to captain, later being posted to the 8th battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in India. He later served and fought in Myanmar, and went with his regiment to Sumatra after the Japanese surrender. 

Following the war, he returned to the UK, and in 2006 he moved to Bedfordshire to be with his family after the death of his wife. 

His fundraising efforts catapulted him to stardom, not least because he was a veteran, but also an everyday family man. Inspiring many others to take part in charitable activities, he became a much-needed face of resilience at a time of unprecedented angst.  

Here we take a look at the books you should add to your collection about the great man. From an autobiographical account of his life to a beautifully illustrated children’s story, these tales will remind you to keep at it when the going gets tough, much like Captain Tom did. 

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