Captain Sir Tom Moore’s family were given a guard of honour as they carried him to his final resting place today.
His daughters Hannah and Lucy were greeted by community representatives when they arrived to bury his ashes beside his parents and grandparents in West Yorkshire.
The Second World War veteran and fundraiser died aged 100 at Bedford Hospital on February 2 after testing positive for pneumonia and Covid-19.
NHS and Royal British Legion representatives were among those who lined the pathways at Morton Cemetery in Riddlesden to give Captain Tom a final heartfelt farewell.
The much-loved veteran had the last laugh as the words ‘I told you I was old’ were engraved on a seven-foot-high family memorial stone above the grave.
The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, and Keighley Town Chaplain, the Reverend Dr Jonathan Pritchard were all guests.
Mr Pritchard said: ‘This is the most immense privilege to be here serving in this way in this last living act for Captain Sir Tom Moore, here in Keighley.
‘He was an extraordinary man who’s made a real significant difference in the life of our nation.
‘He’s lifted our spirits and raised our vision about what is possible.
“So, I’m just very, very moved to be able to be here right at the very end and doing this.’
He added that Captain Sir Tom would have liked a simple ceremony without too much fuss as the sun came out for the gathering.
The family looked relaxed as they laughed and smiled with the community groups’ representatives and the children from schools across the Keighley area.
As well as the emergency services, more than a dozen organisations were represented at the cemetery.
This included Keighley Healthy Living, the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Keighley Cougars rugby club and the Bangladeshi Community Association. The Scouts and Guides were also present.
The honour guard arrived at the cemetery before the family on two vintage double-decker buses.
Captain Sir Moore was born in Keighley in 1920 and brought up in the area before serving with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment during the Second World War.
The grandad walked 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday, raising more than £32 million for the NHS.
He was knighted by the Queen during a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle in summer 2020.
The national treasure’s 100th birthday celebrations last year included a Spitfire flypast.
Captain Sir Tom also had a number one hit with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir with their recording of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
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