In a quiet country churchyard...

In a quiet country churchyard, there are two gravestones. One for a Lord who died aged ninety-six in 1998. Next to him, a smaller stone marks the burial place of Edward, the boy who died aged six years and five days in 1992.

Lord Sainsbury became joint managing director of Sainsbury's in 1938 after his father, the eldest son of Sainsbury's founder had a minor heart attack. At that time, Sainsbury’s was a chain of small traditonal grocery stores. After World War Two, he went to the United States on a fact-finding mission to learn about frozen food and saw his first self-service supermarket and the Croydon branch of Sainsbury's was converted to self-service in 1950. It wasn’t popular with everybody. One customer threw a basket in Alan Sainsbury's face as he handed them out on opening day. But he went on to pioneer fresh and frozen foods, and increased Sainsbury's own label range. He was created a life peer and became Lord Sainsbury, in 1962.

While Lord Sainsbury was known and admired by many, Edward was beloved by the few that knew him. He went to school for just a year. Lewis was his best friend, but he was good friends with all the other boys. The girls, of course, all mothered him for his 'fuzzy-felt' hair. On what was to be his last day at school, although no one knew it, he insisted on finishing a special bit of work even when his teacher, Mrs Triggs told him he could leave it and listen to the story with all the other boys and girls.

He knew he wanted to be a farmer like his dad. And a fireman. That’s why he really loved Fireman Sam. He had a proper helmet from a visit to the firemen at Bury St Edmunds. He liked his clothes to match, preferring chinos to denim. He loved Lego, Mrs Triggs and Eileen at the Malcolm Sargent Holiday Home. He adored stew and dumplings and his sister, Charlotte. And got so annoyed with his mum and dad because it took four days for them to decide on her name.

I knew of Lord Sainsbury through his benevolent support of village organizations. Without him, the village youth club, I helped to found wouldn’t have even got off the ground.

I loved Edward because he was my son.

In life, they were worlds apart, Edward and Lord Sainsbury. In death, they share the same quiet corner of a country churchyard. That man known and admired by many. That boy, beloved by those he knew.