Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. She had known their father, who was a fence (seller of stolen goods) or a 'thieves' ponce' - he would put up the money to finance criminal operations - which was a career on which she looked down. There was also kind of respect for them locally because people could get a nice dress or a pair of stockings cheaply. His life of crime started aged nine when he worked for the notorious Sabini gang, which ran protection rackets at the racecourses at a time when off-course betting was illegal. Last seen in public in October at the funeral of his former boss, Charlie Richardson, Fraser is one of the few remaining members of a generation of "celebrity criminals". Prisoners and ex-prisoners all over Britain speak about him with undisguised admiration. Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. Fraser himself was charged with pulling out people's teeth with pliers and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Fraser was released in 1988 and almost immediately served a two-year sentence for receiving. Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. Fraser considered that Lawton had meted out cruel and vindictive punishment to him at Pentonville in 1948, and to avenge himself Fraser assumed the role of hangman. The cells did not have a reforming effect on her character or on that of her gang leader Diamond, who was arrested on numerous occasions over the following decade. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. Over the last decade or so he was on the cabaret circuit and ran gangland tours of the East End, taking in such sights as the Blind Beggar pub, where Ronnie Kray shot dead George Cornell, one of the Richardson gang, in 1966. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was halfNative-American. But she was once caught stealing stockings and was sent to prison.. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. Following a trial at the Old Bailey in 1967, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. I dont think people realise how close we came to all-out battles in London between Communism and Fascism, before WW2 brought the country together, Beezy said. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. The following year, the British mobsterJack Spotand wife Rita were attacked on Billy Hill's say-so, by Fraser, Bobby Warren and at least half a dozen other men. If you love GANGLAND and women in crime who rubbed shoulders with Frank and the Krays, you're going to QUEEN OF CLUBS my new book set in seedy 1950s Soho and inspired by the Forty Thieves hoisters gang including Frank's sister Eva Fraser and the notorious hoister Shirley Pitts from Walworth who grew up with his sons David and Patrick. But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. [25] In June 2013, the 89-year-old Fraser was served with an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) by police after a row with another resident. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. The comments below have not been moderated. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Harry Styles put on an animated display as he took to the stage for a second night at the Accor Stadium in Sydney's Olympic Park on Saturday.. But Hill was already an admirer: a picture taken at a party to launch Hills ghosted autobiography in 1955 shows Fraser draped artistically over a piano. The following year, the British mobster Jack Spot and wife Rita were attacked, on Hill's say-so, by Fraser, Bobby Warren and at least half a dozen other men. In 1969 Fraser led the Parkhurst prison riot on the Isle of Wight and found himself back in court charged with incitement to murder. Born on Cornwall Road, Waterloo, Lambeth, South London, Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. His mother was of Norwegian-Irish stock and his father was half Native American. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Frank stole because he loved to have money yet when he had it, he gave it all away. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. Alice herself was famous for clouting three furs in one go: one down each leg and one under her gusset. He stopped following a warning from the Kray Twins. Although he was conscripted, Fraser later boasted that he had never once worn the uniform, preferring to ignore call-up papers, desert and resume his criminal activities. Petite shoplifter Bertha Tappenden stood just over 5ft 2in tall, but was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man in Lambeth, after kicking down his front door and attacking him with razors and knives, to settle a score, aided by Diamond and another gang girl, Gertrude Scully. Fraser has complained in the past that "I had no help from my family; my mother and father were dead straight so I had to make my own way. She also passed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. 'It gave them a life they could never have afforded. One such member was Lilian Goldstein, who was known as the Bob-Haired Bandit. Then they were turned over to Fraser. She helped support her young siblings by taking milk and bread from neighbour's doorsteps. The most famous 'queen', Alice Diamond (left), was the daughter of a docker and renowned for her row of diamond rings that doubled as a knuckle duster. But after shoving their stolen goods into waiting cars the women would head back to the grotty slums of Waterloo and Elephant and Castle - where their 'queen' exchanged the expensive items for a generous weekly wage. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. [9] Somehow Eva found herself in the opposite company of her eldest sister Peggy, whose boyfriend was heavily involved in the Communist Party, whom the Blackshirts fought in the famous Battle of Bermondsey, and the even more famous Battle of Cable Street. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime, with the blackout and rationing, combined with the lack of professional policemen due to conscription, providing ample opportunities for criminal activities such as stealing from houses while the occupants were in air-raid shelters. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. Frankie Fraser, who has died aged 90, was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s; he spent 42 years behind bars before achieving a. "Hill paid by the stitch if you put 50 stitches in a man's face, you could expect 50," says James Morton, Fraser's biographer. "My father was the most honest man I've ever come across," says Fraser, who also refers to his Native American antecedents, saying that his grandmother was "a Red Indian", According to his sons, Fraser has no regrets: "He said, 'No, I wouldn't have done my life any other way. Mad Frank (1994), which went on to sell around 100,000 copies, was the first in a successful series. He was given an asbo, one of his sons told film-makers, after getting into an argument with a fellow-resident and is unrepentant about his life of crime. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Do not sell or share my personal information. Two people were left dead. Their view on Hatton Garden was that the world had moved on and robbing banks now was akin to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid trying to get away on horseback, while the police gave chase in cars. Fraser, whose health has been deteriorating in recent years, turned to crime aged just nine when he and his sister, Eva, became petty thieves. From the time of Frankie Fraser's sister Eva and the gang of hoisters The Forty Thieves, comes a book which will have you gripped this summer. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Nevertheless he was good at sports, captaining the football team at St Patricks school, Southwark, and boxing as an amateur. A feature film production is currently[when?] Descendants . Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall - despite police records from 1919 putting her at 5ft9in. '", Frankie Fraser's Last Stand will be broadcast on the Crime and Investigation network on 16 June at 9pm, New TV documentary shows ex-gangland enforcer is far from mellowing with age and has few regrets about his life of crime, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Frankie Fraser has no regrets over his life of crime, which involved him being jailed for a total of 42 years for 26 offences. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. He has been part of the most infamous criminal gangs of the past 100 years, while maintaining his South London roots and deep devotion to his family. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Sometimes the hoisters' lives became entangled with those of underworld bosses through affairs, family ties or marriage. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Diamond's second-in-command Maggie Hughes (right) was known as 'Babyface' for her sweet looks and made a habit of cheekily shouting back at the judge when she was sentenced to jail: 'It won't cure me! In 1966, Fraser was charged with the murder of Richard Hart - who was shot at Mr Smith's club inCatfordwhile other Richardson associates, includingJimmy Moody, were charged withaffray. Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. A machine costing 400 could quickly recoup its cost if well-sited, and Frasers company offered club owners 40 per cent of the take rather than the standard 35 per cent as an inducement to install their machines. 'You name it, we nicked it,' he tells the . ", Of the war years, when he was heavily involved in theft from bombed-out stores, he says: "You wanted to win the war but you wanted it to go on for ever. She had died in 2000 but her daughter Beverley, who shared Evas reticent nature, agreed to talk to me and that revealed that Eva had been leading criminal in her own right. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. Hughes was famed for her red hair, a love of drink and a violent temper. On the night of March 7 1966 Fraser and Eddie Richardson were badly hurt in a brawl at Mr Smiths club in Catford, the incident that broke the Richardson familys grip on south London. After the war, Fraser was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller, for which he received a two-year prison sentence, mostly served atHMP Pentonville. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. His new career took off and he was in regular demand as a radio and television pundit. At least two home secretaries considered Fraser the most dangerous man in Britain, an image which, in old age, he only half-heartedly sought to dispel. And involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. He spent 42 years behind bars before achieving a certain cult status in later life as an author, after-dinner speaker, television pundit and tour guide. [11] In 1942, while serving a prison sentence in HM Prison Chelmsford, he came to the attention of the British Army. Many started as child lookouts. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime. Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. His gangster boss Charles Richardson remembered him as one of the most polite, mild-mannered men Ive met but he has a bad temper on him sometimes. Fraser was the youngest of five children who were growing up in poverty - he first turned to crime at the tender age of 10, alongside his sister Eva. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. He undoubtedly had a wicked temper and a lack of empathy as seen in his capability for violence but he described that to me in terms of a soldier doing his job. Fraser, who was jailed for 10 years in the so-called "torture trial" in 1967, is now frail and in poor health. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. Mason was found, barely alive, wearing only his underpants and wrapped in a blanket, on the steps of the London Hospital in Whitechapel. While serving this sentence, Fraser received 10 years for his part in the so-called Richardson torture trial. Fraser was defended by a young solicitor called James Morton, who later became an author and wrote a history of Londons gangland in 1992. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. He saw himself as an innovator, claiming to have invented the Friday gang, robbing wages clerks carrying money from banks; he would use a starting handle to beat his victims and to deter any watching have-a-go heroes in the street. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. Francis Davidson Fraser was born on December 13 1923 in Cornwall Road, a slum area of south London on the site of what is now the Royal Festival Hall. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a hoister because they could outearn us men two to one,' he said. He had an ungovernable temper and an inability to think through the undoubted consequences of his proposed actions. But little by little, over weeks and months of interviews, cups of tea and chats, their life stories emerged and with that came a fascinating insight into the Fraser family history and what really made Frank tick. Fraser was seen kicking Richard Hart, a Kray associate, as he lay on the pavement outside. Frank had been active as a criminal from the 1930s and was given his first prison sentence at the outbreak of the Second World War. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. The Richardson Gang was an English crime gang based in South London, England in the 1960s.Also known as the "Torture Gang", they had a reputation as some of London's most sadistic gangsters. [21] In 1999, he appeared at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London in a one-man show, An Evening with Mad Frankie Fraser (directed by Patrick Newley), which subsequently toured the UK. Eva was a chip off the old block and as well as being Franks first partner in crime, stealing sweets from the corner shop, she had a lucrative career in a daring gang of girl shoplifters, The Forty Thieves, which traced its roots back to Victorian London and cleared many a West End store for furs and luxury goods. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. Ronald 'Ronnie' Kray and Reginald 'Reggie' Kray, were identical twin brothers who led an organised crime ring in East London from the late 1950s to 1967. 'It was incredibly subversive to go against the class system and steal furs and luxury items and swan about like they were rich - but that is exactly what they did. Following a trial at theOld Baileyin 1967, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Join Facebook to connect with Frankie Fraser and others you may know. After trying his hand at crime as a. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. Fraser was placed into an induced coma, but just five days later, on November 26, 2014, Fraser passed away after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Eva (Fraser) Brindle. Born 1920s. The women, who carried razors wrapped in lace handkerchiefs, were known for violent outbursts - including one furore that resulted in a woman blinding a police officer by stabbing him in the eye with her hatpin. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. 'My gran liked to go for tea at the Ritz, especially if she could pinch someone's fur coat from the cloakroom on the way out. He had 10 years added to a sentence he was serving in 1967 along with The Richardson Brothers in the Torture Trials which were the longest trials in British criminal history. They would go through Selfridges department store in the West End and steal furs and expensive clothes. He built a reputation as an enforcer and strongman for various gang leaders, including Billy Hill, self-styled King of Britains Underworld in the 1940s and 1950s and, in the 1960s, the Richardson brothers. On his release, Fraser joined Richardsons brother Eddie in a company called Atlantic Machines, installing fruit machines at some of Sohos most profitable sites, with Sir Noel Dryden recruited as the respectable frontman. View our online Press Pack. They set up a fruit machine enterprise, which they would sell to pub landlords, to cover up their crimes. Dubbed 'The Most Dangerous Man in Britain' by two Home Secretaries, Francis Davidson Fraser was born on the 13th of December 1923, and grew up in Waterloo, London.He and his sister, Eva started their life of crime at a young age, stealing from handbags and pickpocketing. Although he was acquitted, a further five years were added to his sentence. The granddaughter of a member of the gang, who said she was taught how to steal in the 1970s, told Ms Marsh: 'My nan was always beautifully turned out. There was also quite a comeuppance for both Patrick and David who both served their time. Had her first criminal conviction aged 14 and went on to become Diamond's accomplice. When Frankie was in prison, Eva helped to run his protection rackets in Soho and even sent her daughters to collect payments, as the police would not stop a child. There was American Indian blood in him; his grandfather had emigrated to Canada in the late 19th century and married a full-blooded American Indian woman. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. His parents were honest and hard-working, but Frankie and his big sister Eva, to whom he was closest, soon turned to crime. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. Such were the criminal opportunities during the war, Fraser joked in a television interview years later, that he had never forgiven the Germans for surrendering. The business came to an end in 1966 when a fight in a Catford night club, Mr Smiths, left a Kray associate, Dickie Hart, dead, and Richardson and Fraser, who was charged with Harts murder, in prison. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. When the heat from the cops in London got too much, they headed off to the Costa del Crime to seek their fortunes there. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Another grandson, Anthony Fraser, was being sought by police in February 2011 for his alleged involvement in an alleged 5 million cannabis smuggling ring. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Facebook gives people the power. But the victory was pyrrhic in many senses, because by the time he finally left prison the in mid 1980s, the world had changed and gangland had moved on. The Krays, according to Frank, were little more than thieves ponces.. From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. Police reveal more details, as man remains at large after brutal attack outside school, Interview with MP Neil Coyle after Commons suspension: Why the drinking has stopped having started in childhood, but the swearing wont, plus deliberately avoiding Labour leader Keir Starmer, Read our print products (Digital Editions). At his funeral, one of his old prison friends summed him up: Whether he has gone upstairs or downstairs, I cant say, but wherever he is, you can be sure of this: he will be protesting about the conditions.. In 1945, when he was 21, he assaulted the governor at Shrewsbury prison with an ebony ruler snatched from the governors desk, for which he received 18 strokes of the cat. There was Eva, the naughty girl of the three, who became a key figure in the all-girl gang, the Forty Thieves, who targeted the West Ends big department stores. Mad Frank: Memoirs of a Life of Crime appeared in 1994, with two further volumes following in 1998 and 2001. In 1969, Fraser was one of the ringleaders of the major Parkhurst Prison riot, which resulted in him spending the six weeks in the prison hospital due to his injuries. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. Many of the Forty Thieves were noted for their beauty as well as their shoplifting skills, such as Madeline Partridge and her sister Laura (pictured left), whose mother was often used by Diamond to sell stolen goods. He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. 'And they were the best fun for a night out.'. Women carried tools needed for burglaries so the police had no evidence if they stopped the men following the crime. For other inquiries, Contact Us. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard during the 1940s and 1950s. His last jail term ended in 1989, but in 2011 he was handed an Asbo after getting into an argument with a fellow pensioner at the sheltered accommodation where he lived in Bermondsey. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. It was during this sentence that he was first certified insane and was sent to Cane Hill Hospital before being released in 1949. It will only make me a worse villain!'. But his criminal activities didn't stop when he was locked up. She and her friends looked like film stars when they went out down the pub. But Beezy said: [Kathleen] experienced the slums of Waterloo as a place buzzing with excitement and the tight-knit community, with its Catholic Church parades, which gave her the chance to shine, though she instead works at the old Hartleys jam factory in Bermondsey. Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. They also spoke, as Frank did, using the prison slang of a bygone era, which they had to translate for me. Photo taken in the late 1940s on a pub Beano (day out) in Walworth, before the group travelled to Margate On the back row: the girls mum, Margaret, next to daughter Kathleen. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. He spent more than 40 years in prison. In later life he would say that had there been an elder criminal member of the family to advise him, he would not have served his sentences in what was called the hard way. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". Beezy, from Ealing, explained that it was in prison that Eva met Diana Mosley, wife of Oswald leader of fascist Blackshirts who were a fearsome presence in London in the 1920s and 30s. The first came when he was in the army during the second world war, the second time when he was sent to Cane Hill psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon, Surrey, and the third when he was transferred from Durham prison to Broadmoor. Always well turned out and ineffably polite and punctual, he had a large and appreciative audience, and one woman was so impressed she named her son after him. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. She was an alcoholic and onceran out of a jeweller with a tray of 34 diamond rings and bumped straight into a policeman. Ancestors . A constant troublemaker in prison, attacking governors and warders over perceived injustices which inevitably resulted in floggings, bread and water and the loss of remission, Fraser had by this time been certified insane on three occasions. They didnt go to jail, they did bird or got a lagging. The memoir KEEPING MY SISTER'S SECRETS, (Pan Macmillan 2017) tells the moving story of three sisters born into poverty in 1930s London and their fight for a survival through a decade of social upheaval. Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. It was a thief's paradise, Gor blimey! The Krays held Eva Fraser in high regard because of her role in the gang and during the 1940s and 1950s, and the Soho gang boss Billy Hill - brother of the fiery Maggie Hughes - was careful not to encroach too much on their territory because he respected their right to earn their own money, free from male interference. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. Borstal was followed by prison, where in 1943 he met the influential London villain Billy Hill, for whom he worked on and off for more than a decade, culminating in his slashing of Hills rival Jack Spot in 1956 after the self-styled kings of the underworld had fallen out.

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