Elizabeth II ennobles "Captain Tom", British hero facing the pandemic

Become a "national treasure" during the pandemic after having managed to collect some 33 million pounds (36.2 million euros) for the British health service, the veteran Tom Moore was knighted Friday July 17 by Queen Elizabeth II during an exceptional ceremony at Windsor Castle.

"Captain Tom", who participated in the Second World War, had collected this sum by accomplishing with small steps, equipped with his walker, 100 turns of his garden of Bedfordshire before his hundredth birthday, on April 30.

The Queen knights Sir Tom pic.twitter.com/K85fKvx5pU

While all the nominations scheduled for June and July at Buckingham Palace in London have been postponed due to the new coronavirus, an exception has been made for "Captain Tom". Surrounded by his family, medals on his chest and leaning on a walker, he was elevated to the rank of knight in the imposing courtyard of Windsor Castle by the Queen, who used the sword that belonged to her father, the King George VI, and respected the rules of social distancing.

"Thank you very much, you have raised an extraordinary sum," thanked the sovereign. At the end of the ceremony, Tom Moore told reporters that he was "absolutely impressed": "This is an absolutely fantastic day for me."

It was the first royal face-to-face engagement with a member of the public for Elizabeth II since she retired March 19 to Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip, due to the pandemic .

"A light in the middle of the fog"

Tom Moore's record fundraiser had started modestly when he challenged himself to get 1,000 pounds for associations linked to the public health service, the NHS, on the front line in the fight against the new coronavirus.

The story of this veteran and the influx of donations that he has generated have warmed the hearts of the public in the United Kingdom, the European country most grieving by Sars-CoV-2 with more than 45,000 dead.

A native of Yorkshire, Tom Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting at the start of the Second World War. He then served in India and Burma. Appointed Honorary Colonel on the occasion of his 100th birthday, which had taken on the appearance of a national celebration, he "inspired the whole country and brought us all a light in the midst of the fog of the coronavirus," declared Prime Minister Boris. Johnson, whose management of the crisis is criticized. Calling Tom Moore a "national treasure", the conservative leader had personally asked the queen to have the centenary knighted.

With AFP

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