Captain Sir Tom honours junior soldiers

CAPTAIN Sir Tom Moore spoke with junior soldiers and told them the world is their oyster as he carried out his first duty as an honorary colonel at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

The 100-year-old Second World War veteran and fundraising legend took the salute at the graduation of around 300 teenage recruits.

Sir Tom was made honorary colonel of the college earlier this year after he walked 100 laps of his garden to raise almost £30m for the NHS, he really is such an incredible character.

The veteran, who took part in the Battle of Ramree Island as part of the Burma campaign during the war, told the soldiers they were “starting a future of absolutely unlimited scope”.

“The world is an oyster and yours to go and open.”

Speaking with reporters Sir Tom said, “For the rest of their lives they’ll find that they are all comrades together.

That will go on and on, just as it has for me. It’s a long time since I was in the forces but I have still got comrades wherever I go. It really is a magnificent unit to be in.”

The knighted veteran also presented several awards and watched a flypast by two Apache helicopters.

Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Simon Farebrother said it was an “absolute priority” to have Sir Tom take the salute and that the soldiers were delighted.

Sir Tom’s fundraising made headlines all over the world when the pandemic began and his original goal to get £1,000 for the NHS ended up in the tens of millions, as the legendary campaign went viral.

He was knighted by the Queen in an open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle in July, and we can’t think of anyone more worthy of the award.