This morning soldiers from Warminster based 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment formed a Guard of Honour for veteran Capt Tom Moore as he completed his fundraising walk. More than £12m has been donated to NHS charities thanks to Tom’s efforts. The soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment – a modern-day unit with links to Tom’s former regiment – gathered at his home to congratulate him at a safe distance.
Tom’s family invited the troops to join him for his final lap in recognition of his pride in his military service. Nine soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, which was formed from Tom’s former regiment, surprised Tom with a Guard of Honour as he set off to complete the final stretch of his fundraising walk. Tom served as a captain with 8th Battalion The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment during the Second World War.
WO1 (RSM) Jamie Pearson, the Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, congratulated Tom as he watched him cross the finish line. He said:
“We’re here providing a Guard of Honour for Capt Tom Moore for his fantastic achievement. We class Captain Tom as one of our own, so it’s a fantastic honour to be here today to witness such an inspirational act from a phenomenal individual. Thank you Tom!”
Maj Ian Atkins, Officer Commanding Alma Company, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said:
“We are honoured to stand here today and provide this Guard of Honour for Captain Tom Moore, who at two weeks shy of his 100th birthday has completed 100 laps of his garden, and in the process raised an amazing £12 million for our National Health Service.
“The soldiers, standing apart and yet together in support of Captain Tom, couldn’t be prouder to count him as one of their own, and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for his service to the country, and now his achievements in the name of the NHS.
“The British Army, the NHS and the whole nation has been behind him every step of the way.”