Captain Sir Tom Moore: Military Funeral Held For Army Veteran

Captain Sir Tom Moore's funeral service has come to an end in Bedfordshire.

The 100-year-old's coffin arrived at the site of the service draped in a union flag and carried by members of the Yorkshire Regiment.

A Dakota aircraft performed a flypast ahead of a three-round gun salute by a firing party before the coffin was carried into the building.

A number of special items have been placed on Captain Sir Tom's coffin, including a replica of his service cap from the Second World War and a wreath from the Yorkshire Regiment.

Also among the items are his campaign medals, including the Burma Star, and his knighthood medal stitched on to a cushion.

There is also a specially commissioned sword engraved with the motto of the Yorkshire Regiment on one side – "Fortune favours the brave".

Engraved on the other side is his own personal motto: "Tomorrow will be a good day".

The funeral was opened with the rendition of 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' that Sir Tom recorded with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir that reached number one last year.

The celebrant conducting the service said: "He was a proud British veteran and a gentleman, he lived in a multi-generational environment, not only would that have kept him young, but also symbolises the importance of family to him.

"What sacrifices did he and his peers make in defence of our freedom, a man with a strong moral compass, a strong work ethic, a sense of pride and an indomitable spirit.

"He serves as an inspiration to us all to never give up and always stay strong knowing tomorrow will be a better day."

Captain Sir Tom’s daughter Lucy Teixeira laughed as she recalled how her father talked to her about concrete pipes to help calm her wedding day jitters.

She also recalled the awful day Sir Tom lost his wife, the same day he had taken his grandson to see the type of tank he had served in during the war at a military museum.

"We often talked about milestones in your life and laughed about the possibility of you reaching your 100th birthday," she said.

"You said 'it’s just a number, I don’t feel any different', and right to the end you ignored the number and kept on going, urging us all to keep on going with the mantra 'tomorrow will be a good day'."

The funeral ended with The Last Post played by Alex Browne of the Yorkshire Regiment Band.

Members of the public were asked to stay at home and not attend Captain Sir Tom's funeral, but many thousands of people have signed an online book of condolence instead.

Captain Sir Tom Moore raised more than £32m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden during the first lockdown ahead of his 100th birthday.

He died on 2 February after testing positive for COVID-19.