When is Captain Tom’s birthday, and details of flypast, cards and other celebrations

Captain Tom Moore does up his tie as he sits on a bench in the village of Marston Moretaine (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, he achieved his goal of completing 100 laps of the backyard of his Bedfordshire home before his 100th birthday.

So how is his big birthday being celebrated this week?

Here’s all you need to know:

When is Captain Tom's birthday?

The 99-year-old war veteran, who has raised £30 million for the NHS so far by walking around his garden 100 times using a walking frame, turns 100 today - Thursday 30 April.

How is he being commemorated?

The Royal Mail has announced plans to celebrate his landmark birthday by stamping all letters with a special message.

It will read: "Happy 100th Birthday Captain Thomas Moore NHS fundraising hero 30th April 2020."

David Gold, director of public affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: "What Captain Thomas Moore has achieved is truly phenomenal, and this is reflected in the affection shown for him across the world.

"As Royal Mail works to keep the country connected during these challenging times, we are honoured to issue a special postmark in celebration of his 100th birthday."

On the day of his 100th birthday, there were a number of surprises in store for Captain Tom.

He was made an honorary colonel, awarded the Freedom of the City of London, and been made an honorary member of the England cricket team.

What time is the flypast for Captain Tom?

It was confirmed that Captain Tom Moore would be honoured with a military fly over to mark his 100th birthday.

Timings of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) flypast were not been publicised ahead of time, amid fears that crowds could gather to view the spectacle.

Just before 9am this morning, the planes passed over Captain Tom’s home in Marston Moretain, Bedfordshire, completing three in formation circuits before heading back to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

How can I send him a card?

A school in Bedfordshire has been flooded with thousands of cards from well wishers across the globe.

More than 125,000 cards have been sent to Bedford School where his grandson, Benjie Ingram-Moore, attends.

Cards were also sent from famous names including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Dame Kelly Holmes and England football captain Harry Kane.

You might be tempted to send a card yourself, but it's already taken 140 members of school staff, parents and pupils past and present 1,750 hours to open each card and create a display in Bedford School's Great Hall.

Who is Captain Tom?

Thomas Moore was born on 30 April 1920 and raised in Keighley, West Yorkshire, where he studied at grammar school before training as a civil engineer.

At the beginning of the Second World War he was enlisted in the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, and was selected for officer training in 1940.

He was posted in India, and fought on the Arakan in Burma, before serving in Sumatra after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

After returning to Britain, he acted as an instructor at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington, Dorset.

Is there any more fundraising on the way?

Captain Moore began his fundraising campaign with the comparatively modest goal of raising £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by walking 10 laps a day of the garden of his family home in Marston Moretaine, aided by his now familiar zimmer frame and proudly wearing his military medals.

He passed his initial target with 24 hours and, as his story began to spread across the media, with the captain making regular appearances on BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, donations began pouring it at an extraordinary rate.

By Tuesday 14 April, just four days after reaching £1,000, the tally had soared to £1m, and the following day it passed the previous record for the Just Giving platform set by the late teenage blogger Stephen Sutton, who raised over £5m for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The 99-year-old veteran eventually raised £30 million for the health service, and isn’t stopping there.

Captain Tom has extended his challenge to 200 laps after he completed the first 100 laps 14 days ahead of schedule.

However, the donations page for Captain Tom Moore's fundraising efforts will close at midnight this evening, as he celebrates his 100th birthday.

Moore confirmed the news in a message to supporters, but added: “NHS Charities Together still have their urgent appeal, so people can donate to them that way.”

When is Captain Tom’s birthday? Date of the NHS fundraiser’s 100th birthday - and details of flypast, cards and other celebrations