GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

So long as wretchedness continues to stalk the earth, I cast about for a counter-argument, an idea that will put the scales in balance.  Last week, my net pulled in a delicious catch:  a photo of Queen Elizabeth investing Captain Thomas Moore as a Knight Bachelor at Windsor Castle (above).  

It’s one of the loveliest, most life-affirming, unabashedly happy photos I’ve seen in a while, and it goes a long way toward eclipsing—albeit only for a moment--the unsettling images one sees every day in the media and on television.  Long live their banishment!  God Save the Queen! 

You may already know the feel-good story of Captain Tom; it’s one that makes the heart sing.  He’s the gentleman who set out on April 6 at age 99 to walk 100 laps in his garden before his 100^th birthday, all in the hopes of raising £1,000 for the National Health Service.  Successful beyond his wildest dreams, in 24 days Captain Tom raised almost £33 million from 1.5 million individual donations for the beleaguered NHS, which is sorely overstretched and under-prepared for the coronavirus pandemic.   On July 17, 2020, he became Captain Sir Thomas Moore.

And there he is (above), on his 100th birthday, fulfilling his self-set challenge.

Thomas Moore’s Wiki bio reveals that he was born on April 30, 1920 in a small village to a building contractor and a head teacher (what Americans call a principal).  He apprenticed to be a civil engineer before being drafted into World War II, whereupon he began his military service in Cornwall.  He was soon posted to India, where his job was to establish and run a training program for army motorcyclists.  Subsequently he was sent to Myanmar and eventually to Sumatra before completing his service in 1945.   

After the war, Captain Tom settled in Dorset, married, raised a family, made his living selling construction materials, and in his leisure time raced motorcycles competitively.  His efforts on behalf of NHS Charities Together won him the admiration of the British people and the notice of the Queen.

Which brings us back to Her Majesty.

I admit to being somewhat of a Royal voyeur (Come on, ‘fess up!  You are too.) While I’m often baffled by the Queen’s attire (for instance, what’s up with the pearls plus a brooch?), in this photo, I love what she’s wearing!  Her pale aqua coat and matching hat compliment her peaches and cream, oh-so-English complexion perfectly.   

As they stand on the castle's lawns, she is the embodiment of a glorious summer’s day.  He maintains a respectful distance, waiting to receive the award of a lifetime.

In this photo below, my favorite of the two of them, the Queen and Captain Tom share the kind of recognition you might expect between old friends.  She smiles at him broadly.  He smiles in return, perhaps a little shyly, or is it mischievously?  They are both clearly very happy to share this moment.  Although they appear vital and radiant, you can’t help but notice that each stoops gently forward toward the other, testifying to their shared passage of time.  

The composition of the photo is very simple.  But the physical link between them made by the sword says much more.  It suggests an unspoken connection that only two people who’ve lived through a coterminous century can ever really understand.  It’s as if they'd shared a secret.

And indeed, as it turns out, they did.  From UK Express:

Sir Tom was thanked by the Queen who said: “Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.”

"To meet the Queen was more than anyone could expect, never ever did I imagine I would get so close to the Queen and have such a kind message from her, that was really outstanding, it was truly outstanding."

But Sir Tom would not reveal what he and the Queen had spoken about when asked.

He said: "No. That's between the Queen and I.

"I don't think I'll tell anybody what she said, it was just the Queen and I speaking privately and it was a great honour for me to be able to speak to her at all."

Captain Sir Tom has so captured the public imagination, that contributions continue to pour in.  Per his Wiki bio:

Once his campaign ended, Moore encouraged people to continue to donate, directly to the NHS Charities Together's urgent appeal, and subsequently via his own Captain Tom Foundation.

On reaching the £5 million mark, Moore explained his motivation:

When we started off with this exercise we didn't anticipate we'd get anything near that sort of money. It's really amazing. All of them, from top to bottom, in the National Health Service, they deserve everything that we can possibly put in their place. They're all so brave. Because every morning or every night they're putting themselves into harm's way, and I think you've got to give them full marks for that effort. We're a little bit like having a war at the moment. But the doctors and the nurses, they're all on the front line, and all of us behind, we've got to supply them and keep them going with everything that they need, so that they can do their jobs even better than they're doing now.

Chivalry.  Devotion.  Personal sacrifice.  Duty.  All worthy counter-arguments.  Thank you, Captain Sir Tom, and God Save the Queen!

Keep it real!  Wear your mask like a badge of honor.

Marilyn