Grocer Thomas Crawt, who has died aged 82, was not a man to surrender to the whims of convention.

Not only did he work his way up from humble errand boy to the boss of a leading supermarket chain, he also defied family tradition by marrying his first cousin, whom he initially met when she was three days old and he was 19 years her senior.

The couple eventually wed 41 years later but not before life had presented Mr Crawt with a string of challenges.

His courage and strength of will helped him survive the sinking of HMS Eagle in the Second World War when the aircraft carrier was sunk by U-boat torpedoes during an operation to Malta in 1942.

After narrowly escaping death in the attack, he managed to stay afloat in rough seas for 90 minutes under enemy fire before being pulled to safety by a rescue vessel.

Born in Brighton in 1919, Mr Crawt left school aged 14 and went to work at the Maypole Store in Western Road, Hove, in an era when it was not customary for errand boys to rise above their station.

It was tough work. He was sent on daily errands and had to make scores of deliveries on his bicycle.

He joined the Navy in 1939 but returned to work at the Maypole after the war.

This time he was determined to work through the ranks and by 1958 he had earned himself a position in management.

The business closed in 1962 and he joined supermarket chain Fine Fare as assistant manager before gaining a position as relief manager overseeing the company's stores across Sussex.

He had several other management positions in Kent and Sussex before his retirement in 1984 and his motto was always "Look after your staff and they will be loyal to you".

Mr Crawt faced several challenges in his family life but his methodical outlook carried him through.

He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Eva, his first wife, in 1941, and they enjoyed a happy marriage until she was diagnosed with a heart condition in the Seventies.

He nursed her through her illness but suffered several painful years as he watched her health deteriorate until her death in 1981.

He displayed a tremendous resolve following the tragedy, which hurt him deeply, but friends and relatives said he refused to wallow in self-pity.

He began to spend more time with his family and it was during this time that his love for his cousin, Mary Edith Crawt, blossomed. He married her in 1982 following a whirlwind romance.

Mrs Crawt said: "We bought the engagement ring in Worthing but we wanted to save money so we celebrated by having egg and chips.

"I thought that was wonderful. He was never a flowers and chocolate man because he always said he wanted to spend the money on living our lives to the full."

Hundreds of Mr Crawt's friends and relatives were due to attend a celebration of life service at Woodvale Crematorium at noon today.