Faces of the Village
Tommy Graves, who celebrated his 90th birthday on 1st November.
Tommy has lived in Boxted all his life. He was born in a cottage on Burnt Dick Hill when his father was a shepherd for Colonel Blewitt at Boxted Hall; the family then moved to Greenfield Cottages in Wet Lane. In 1932, when Tommy was eight years old, the family moved to the smallholding where Tommy and his wife, Doris, still live today. (Tommy’s father worked for Alf Sexton at that time on the market garden production side of the Sexton business.)
Tommy worked the smallholding all his life, first helping his father and then, on his father’s retirement, taking it over. As well as growing produce for the market he reared pigs and chickens. The field has now been sown to grass and a crop of hay is taken from it every year.
Tommy played football for Boxted Lodgers Football Club and he was a good bowler for Boxted Cricket Club. He was a member of Boxted Home Guard during the Second World War.
Tommy’s birthday is on All Saint’s Day. Tommy attended Boxted Church of England Primary School. If All Saint’s Day fell on a school day the pupils would attend a church service in the morning and then have the rest of the day off, which was a special birthday treat for Tommy.
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