A 100-year-old World War II veteran has been walking around his garden to raise money for charity, inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore. Harold Jones, a great-grandfather of six, started his daily walks during lockdown and continues to honour the late Captain Tom as the anniversary of his death approaches.
Harold, who served in the British Army from 1942 until 1947, has walked an impressive 41,550 laps of his garden – a total of 661 miles, equivalent to walking from his home near Birmingham to Germany. He credits his time in the Armed Forces for his enduring fitness.
The centenarian began fundraising for the MND Association after losing several friends to the disease and has raised over £43,000 in less than four years.
Harold said: “Captain Tom did inspire me but I’ve now walked a far greater distance than he did in the end. I always refer to myself as Lance Corporal Harold. Captain Tom was a captain so I thought I’d go to the other end of the spectrum.
“One other reason I started was to keep fit and keep moving. With Covid we had to stay in and all sorts of things.
“I saw it was what Captain Tom had done to raise money. I had lost three friends with Motor Neurone Disease and I thought I’d do the same. It has become a daily routine ever since.
“I set out to try and get to £1,000. I didn’t know how people would respond. I reached a grand in a year. When I reached £10,000 a friend doubled it.
“I’ve done 41,550 laps. It goes down the side of the bungalow and around. I do it every day and I keep a record.
“It’s the walking that keeps me fit. I previously broke my back in three places but my ankles, knee joints and hips are perfect.
“The training for the army set up the ability to endure because we endured a lot in the army. Determination and resilience is something you’re taught in the army.
“You grit your teeth. I put on an anorak, pull it over my ears and I’m out there. I walk in the morning after breakfast in whatever weather, you’ve got to get up and go out. You have to have the determination to get up and go. That’s so important.”
Harold has recently been awarded the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award for his courageous efforts in raising funds for the MND Association. He said: “I was a salesman, and I look for opportunities. I give out buckets for collection money for MND.”
The point-of-light awardee further detailed one of his most successful fundraising events: “I got a concert at my local Methodist church and charged £10 a ticket with 250 people turning up.”
Once Harold was put forward by the MND association, he received notification that he had won the prestigious award: “It was put forward by MND and I got notified of the award and now I’m awaiting a certificate.”
Harold explained what was next on this rewarding journey: “It said I would get a letter from the Prime Minister thanking me, he’s busy of course. I’m told there’s a certificate now. The local MP Andrew Mitchell is doing it.”
Even at his advanced age, Harold continues to be committed to helping others, primarily through phone calls. He shared: “Even at my age now I try to help others, mainly with telephone calls.”
Stating the importance of contact during these difficult times, Harold said: “I use the time since Covid to keep in contact with other people. I’m always prepared to listen to them. I think that very much helps.”
The retiree also candidly talked about the changes in his life: “I don’t get out so much now, I rely on friends.”
Harold, who served in the British Army and worked mainly as an auditor in the Royal Pay Corps until his discharge in 1947, recounted his time overseas: “I served in India. I remember on my mother’s birthday we sailed from Scotland down the Atlantic, wondering where we would be going.”
Reflecting on the uncertain journey, this veteran explained: “We didn’t know if we’d get there because of the U-boats. It took six weeks. We had six weeks at sea.”
In his concluding remarks, Harold compared the ships of his time to those of the present day: “The ships weren’t like anything like they were today, we crammed in them. People slept anyway. That was 1944.
“From India I went out to Burma. My experience with the Japanese was taking them to prison camps. They did gardening. I used to carry a rifle with nothing in it, in the back of a lorry, transporting prisoners.
“I also walked a 92 miles hike in a week, just after having recovered from diphtheria so maybe that helped set me up for walking these laps I do every day.”
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