Obituary to Ipswich tailor Peter Little who dies aged 91

Peter Little was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, determined to give his own children and everything he had missed out on. 

He knew the value of hard work and determination – values that had given him a 40-year career, and the job of creating bespoke suits worn by none other than Sir Alf Ramsey. 

Peter was born on July 1, 1932, in Harwich. His early life was marked by tragedy; he told his children that his earliest memory was of visiting his dying mother in hospital, aged five. This was to be the last time he saw her, although he had not been told she was terminally ill. 

On the train home, Peter was standing, gazing out of the window, when an impatient fellow passenger attempted to push past him. Peter was sent flying from the moving train onto the platform. 

Despite a difficult start in life, Peter Little built himself a flourishing career as a tailor. He made suits for Ipswich Town legend Sir Alf Ramsey, and even designed the suit Sir Alf is wearing in the statue in Portman Road. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)Sir Alf Ramsey walking through the doors of his workshop was the 'breakthrough' of Peter's career. Image: Family of Peter Little (Image: Family of Peter Little)Peter Little outside his Tacket Street workshop. Image: Family of Peter Little (Image: Family of Peter Little)

Peter was rushed to hospital, where it was discovered that his hip had been shattered and he had tuberculosis.  

This was the first of many hospital stays. He was mostly alone during this time; Peter’s father had remarried, and his stepmother wanted nothing to do with him, and so Peter was effectively abandoned. 

When the Second World War broke out, Peter was transferred to a hospital in Blackburn. He was now suffering from rickets and bone rot, as well as TB. 

When he was well enough to be discharged two years later, space was found for Peter in the orphanage in the hospital grounds. A matron tracked down his errant father to Ipswich, and Peter was sent to the town to be cared for by his grandmother.  

In 1943, Peter’s TB returned and he was again hospitalised. This time, he was tied to a padded metal frame, able to move only his head and arms. He would be tied to this frame for the next two years. 

It was during this time that Peter learned to sew, and discovered an unknown talent. With hours to practice, Peter had soon become a skilled tailor. 

Come the end of the war, Peter was finally allowed to take off the frame. Although he would always have a fixed hip and one leg shorter than the other, he was thankfully free from pain and could walk with a stick. 

Thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council, Peter was able to study at Treloar’s College in Hampshire, a college for young disabled people.

By the end of his time here, Peter had been made head boy, and according to his son, David, was pretty much running the school’s tailoring department.  

At 18, Peter became an apprentice tailor in Ipswich. He soon picked up two prestigious awards, being twice named as the second-best apprentice tailor in all of the UK.

Peter’s skill was to be recognized many times over the course of his career, winning bronze, silver and gold at the Tailor and Cutter annual awards, beating all other tailors in the UK.

However, what he treasured most was the arrival of a young girl who had started work at the tailors named Freda Harris. Peter plucked up the courage to ask her on a date, and Freda accepted.  

Peter and Freda in their courting days, around the time of 1955. Image: Family of Peter Little (Image: Family of Peter Little)Peter and Freda, pictured around eight years ago. The couple were together for almost 70 years. Image: Family of Peter Little (Image: Family of Peter Little)Peter and Freda became great friends with the Ramsey family. Image: Family of Peter Little (Image: Family of Peter Little)

The young couple were married on September 29, 1956. They were together for almost 70 years and welcomed five children: David, Karen, Jonathan, Adele and Simon. 

In 1955, Peter opened the doors of his Tacket Street workshop, where he would remain for the next 45 years.  

In 1959 came the real ‘breakthrough’ of Peter’s career, when in walked Ipswich Town manager, Alf Ramsey, who had heard that Peter was ‘the best tailor in town’. 

Impressed with his work, Sir Alf soon commissioned Peter to make him a suit. According to David, this was the start of a friendship that would flourish for many years, until Sir Alf’s death in 1999.

Players and other Town managers would come to Peter for their suits, including Sir Bobby Robson. 

It was Peter who made Sir Alf’s suit for the 1966 World Cup, and the suit he wears in the iconic statue outside Portman Road. Indeed, David remembers the sculptor coming to visit Peter several times to take Sir Alf’s measurements. 

Peter Little was known the the Ipswich Town stars of the day as 'the very best tailor in town'. Image: Family of Peter Little / Newsquest (Image: Family of Peter Little)

Peter continued working at the Tacket Street workshop until his retirement. In later life, he and Freda enjoyed playing bowls together, and Freda had the honour of representing her country for a second time, having been a champion high jumper in her youth.

Freda passed away in 2020, and Peter felt her loss keenly. While he took great joy in spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, David said that he also looked forward to the day when he and Freda could be together once more.

Peter passed away peacefully in his sleep on Christmas Day at the age of 91, having been looked after for the final years of his life in Henley House residential home.

He is survived by his five grandchildren, his 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.