Captain Tom remembered at National Memorial Arboretum
A road at the National Memorial Arboretum named in honour of fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore has been visited by his daughter.
Captain Tom touched the hearts of the nation when, during the pandemic, he raised more than £32 million for NHS Charities Together by walking lengths of his garden as he approached his 100th birthday in April last year.
Knighted by HM The Queen in July 2020 he also became the oldest person to have a UK Number One record with his cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone", which he made with Michael Ball.
Captain Tom, who served in India and the Burma Campaign during World War 2, died on February 2 this year.
On Tuesday (November 4) his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore visited the national place of remembrance near Lichfield for the first time and saw Captain Sir Tom Moore Way.
She said: “My father brought me up with so much respect for those that have given their lives for our country, especially as he knew first-hand the pain of seeing best friends die during a war.
"Being here today and seeing Captain Sir Tom Moore Way forming part of this wonderful place to remember feels very poignant and it would have meant a huge amount to my father.
"It’s been a true honour to visit this beautiful place and I’m grateful to everyone at the National Memorial Arboretum that made this happen.”
Renaming the road in the Far East Zone in honour of Captain Tom was the brainchild of Tony Matthews, a Gulf War and Northern Ireland veteran who has volunteered at the Arboretum for 15 years and is Chairman of the National Memorial Arboretum branch of the Royal British Legion.
As one of the arboretum’s team of expert volunteer guides, Tony gave Hannah a tour of the Far East Zone during her visit.
“As he was a veteran of the Far East campaigns during the Second World War, I thought this would be a fantastic way of remembering Captain Tom,” said Tony.
“Lots of people were keen for us to find an appropriate way to show our thanks and I realised this previously unnamed road in a part of the arboretum so closely linked to his wartime service would make for the perfect tribute.”
Anyone walking from the start of Captain Sir Tom Moore Way to the Burma Star Memorial will walk approximately 250 metres, the same distance Captain Tom covered in his garden each day as part of his fundraising efforts.
Captain Tom’s family have since set up the Captain Tom Foundation to ensure Tom’s message of hope becomes a lasting legacy.
The foundation supports causes that were close to Captain Tom's heart and which remain dear to his family, including combating loneliness and helping an ageing population live purposeful lives.
Following her tour of the Far East Zone, Hannah spoke with Philippa Rawlinson, Managing Director of the National Memorial Arboretum about the 150-acre site’s plan for a new Memorial Woodland dedicated in memory of all those who have died as a result of the pandemic.
“Captain Sir Tom Moore Way was a brilliant idea from Tony, and it offers a new way for us to help engage visitors and encourage them to discover some of the incredible stories from the often-overlooked campaigns in the Far East during the Second World War,” said Philippa Rawlinson.
“It was fantastic to be able to speak with Hannah about our ambitious plans to restore an additional 25-acres of former quarry workings, creating a new network of Remembrance spaces where people can reconnect, reflect and forge new memories together.”
For further information and to pre-book visits to the National Memorial Arboretum, visit www.thenma.org.uk
