WW2 veteran, 100, follows Captain Tom's lead with huge charity challenge

18 January 2024 , 11:10

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Lance Corporal Harold Jones has walked hundreds of miles around his garden (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

A 100-year-old war hero has walked hundreds of miles around his garden raising money for charity - after being inspired by Captain Tom Moore.

World War II veteran Lance Corporal Harold Jones has been doing laps of his back garden 30 times every day since 2020. The great-grandfather-of-six is aiming to raise £50,000 for the MND Association after losing several friends to the disease. He started walking circuits around his bungalow during lockdown after being inspired by the efforts of the late Captain Tom.

And thanks to his long-lasting fitness, which he credits to years in the armed forces, the pensioner is still going. Harold has clocked up 41,550 laps - 661 miles - which is the equivalent of walking from his home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, to Germany.

Incredibly he has managed the feat despite previously breaking his back in three places. The sprightly centenarian, who has so far raised £43,000, served in the British Army in India and Burma from 1942 until 1947.

The dad of two has raised money for charity MND Association (Anita Maric / SWNS)

Dad-of-two 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.

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“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. And 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. You grit your teeth. I put on an anorak, pull it over my ears and I'm out there.

“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. 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.”

Lance Corporal Harold, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, began walking up to 40 laps a day in March 2020 to keep healthy during the Covid pandemic (Anita Maric / SWNS)

The pensioner said he was inspired to continue by the work of Captain Tom (PA)

Harold, who is now hoping to pass the £50,000 mark, worked mainly as an auditor in the Royal Pay Corps during the war. He said: “I served in India. On my mother's birthday we sailed from Scotland down the Atlantic, wondering where we would be going. We didn’t know if we’d get there because of the U-boats. It took six weeks. We had six weeks at sea.

“The ships were not like anything like they are 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. Maybe that helped set me up for walking these laps I do every day.”

Harold was given a Points of Light award by the Prime Minister for his valiant efforts after the MND Association put his name forward. Amanda Bourne, from the MND Association, said: “Harold is such a wonderful gentleman and I love supporting him. He’s incredible and has been walking every day. People like Harold help get us towards the goal of finding a cure for MND.”

If you wish to support Harold’s fundraising efforts, visit this link.

Martin Fricker