Correct - I'd assume sites are more worried about what A/B tested title delivers the most clicks than whether they're using the most accurate/comprehensible title.

I would imagine it's to stir a bit of an emotional response. Captain Tom is revered by plenty in the UK so by prefixing your title with his name you're likely to get more click-throughs.

I had a very hard time comprehending the first few paragraphs after starting with the photo!