Raffaele Gaetano Tomei

Raffaele came to England when he was 17 to work in the plaster works owned by his uncle, Melchiade Sesti. He briefly returned to Italy when he was 21 to marry Settima Giannini, possibly in the church at Valdottavo. On returning to England, he lived at 2 Phoenix Road until his death, when the house passed on to his grandchildren, via his daughter Lilian who had married a local butcher named Herbert (" Bert") Aitken.

Raffaele took over the business when Melchiade returned to Italy in 1888, renaming the firm R.Tomei. The firm had started in Trinity Road, Penge (most of which is now named Station Road) but in 1911 Raffaele purchased a small timber yard at 40-42 St.Johns Road, Penge.The name was changed to Tomei & Sons Limited in 1928 and his sons Robert (Albert"), William ("Bill") and Stephen ("Steve") joined him as directors. Albert's sons Clement and Peter subsequently joined him as directors, and business was still operating at that location in 2010 under the direction of Clement's sons Phillip and Paul.

Raffaele and Settima had 7 children: Robert William ("Albert"), Elizabeth ("Lizzie") - married Raffaello Panichelli; William Daniel, Stephen Dante, Lilian Philomena, Constantine and Phillip. Connie and Phillip, the two youngest died in World War 1.