'Stunning self-enrichment' around British hero Captain Tom's legacy

london - Daughter of famous war veteran accused of misusing funds from charitable foundation set up in late veteran's honor.

Captain Tom was the British hero of the early weeks of the COVID-19 epidemic. In the lead-up to his 100th birthday at the end of April that year, Captain Tom walked a hundred laps around his garden with his walker. It became a huge success on social media, and the war veteran raised nearly forty million pounds (€50 million) to support the National Health Service (NHS).

Captain Tom, as he soon became known - he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in the summer of 2020 and was promoted to colonel - passed away in February 2021. After his death, things quickly went downhill with the charitable foundations that his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin set up. Doubts arose quickly. In May 2021, the first warning was issued, an official investigation was launched in June 2022, and now a damning report has been released.

After her father's death, Hannah wasted no time in trademarking the name 'Captain Tom'. Numerous products were offered, such as a special Captain Tom Gin sold for a hundred pounds. However, the distillery involved seems to know nothing about a special gin, and it is likely that regular gin was sold in a more expensive bottle.

Of this 'regular gin', costing £35.95, only 1 pound was transferred to the foundation, even though the label stated that 'all profits' would go to the foundation. According to the regulator, a total of 1 million pounds was earned from Captain Tom products. Only a fraction of that amount went to the foundation.

Even more distressing is the book deal signed with publisher Penguin. They paid 1.5 million pounds for three Captain Tom books. Captain Tom himself wrote the foreword for the first book, making it clear that the proceeds would go to his charitable foundation. However, not a penny of the advance was passed on, according to the report.

Furthermore, both Hannah and her husband were actively involved in the charitable foundation. The trustees of the foundation did not agree to the £150,000 salary Hannah demanded as CEO and reduced it to a still respectable £85,000. She personally increased this by expenses amounting to £80,000, including rent and 'consultancy'.

Hannah Ingram-Moore's name has previously been tarnished. There was outrage over a bathhouse, with a separate cinema, that she had built next to her home, while the building application stated that it was for storage of Captain Tom memorabilia. The £1.2 million mansion was demolished earlier this year on the authority of local authorities.

Hannah's response to the report mirrors her response to previous accusations with the same outrage. She claims the investigation was 'selective' and did not mention 'all initiatives that were undertaken.' The trustees of the Captain Tom's charitable foundation itself, from which Hannah and her husband are no longer involved, however, are pleased with the findings and 'welcome' the conclusions.

It is unclear if the foundations can claim the money earned by Hannah and her husband. British media suggest, however, that the couple is feeling uneasy. Their home, where Captain Tom lived and took his walks, has been on the market since spring for £2.25 million.