The Resume

(April 30, 1920-February 2, 2021)
Born in Keighley, England, United Kingdom
Served in India and Burma during World War II
Rotated home to become an instructor in armored warfare (1945-46)
After military service, became managing director of a concrete manufacturing company
During the COVID-19 epidemic, began a fundraising campaign for NHS Charities Together, 'Tom's 100th BIrthday Walk for NHS'
Planned to walk 100 lengths of his 25-meter garden and raise £1,000 by his 100th birthday
FInal amount raised was £32,796,475
Recorded 'You'll Never Walk Alone' with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir for charity
Died from pneumonia and COVID-19

Why he might be annoying:

He received so many cards for his 100th birthday that the Royal Mail had to set up a special sorting facility to handle the volume.
His autobiography was ghostwritten.
He was a one-hit wonder as a singer.
If he had made it to Major during the war, he and Ball could have covered ‘Space Oddity’ for charity instead.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was still recovering from injuries sustained in a 2018 fall when he began his fundraising walks.
He made the Guinness Book of Records twice: most money raised in a charity walk and oldest performer to have a #1 record in the UK.
He said about his motivation, ‘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.’
He inspired other people to do their own charity walks, raising additional funds.
The Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps both performed flyovers of his house for his 100th birthday.
Queen Elizabeth made her first official public engagement since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown to invest him as a Knight Bachelor (May 20, 2020).
The day after he died, both Houses of Parliament observed a minute of silence in his honor.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 80]
• I Covered 'You'll Never Walk Alone'
• I Died in 2021 (Ranked: 100)
• I Have Skin Cancer [Melanoma]
• I Last Saw My Shadow on Groundhog's Day [Died on February 2nd] (Ranked: 2021)
• I Lived to 100 (Ranked: 100)
• I Made the Guinness Book of World Records
• I'm So Hip, I Had Mine Replaced
• Knights
• Look At Me, I'm With Queen Elizabeth II
• People with Tom, Dick or Harry in their Names
• Profiles 50001-50056 (Ranked: 50046)
• Served in World War II
• Tested Positive for COVID-19
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 20210202)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 245 Votes: 58.37% Annoying