We are no longer accepting comments on this article. He regularly led conducted tours of East End crime scenes, invariably ending up in the Blind Beggar pub where Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell dead. Prior to that he was a bodyguard to notorious gangland leader Billy Hill, where he took part in bank robberies and and carried out razor blade attacks - which earned him 50 a time. Profile manager: Evelyn Wolff [send private message] Mad Frank. 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. The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. Their loot would be stuffed into these 'hoister's drawers', allowing the women to leave the stores undetected. Then they were turned over to Fraser. Mason was found, barely alive, wearing only his underpants and wrapped in a blanket, on the steps of the London Hospital in Whitechapel. Harts killing was avenged within 24 hours when Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell, the Richardsons chief lieutenant, at the Blind Beggar pub deep in Kray territory on the Mile End Road, using a 9mm Mauser semi-automatic pistol at point-blank range. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. Moment brazen thieves jump behind counter at Chicago Drug baron, 58, who 'hid 198MILLION fortune from police' is Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. Frankie Fraser's Last Stand (2013) - IMDb His parents were honest and hard-working, but Frankie and his big sister Eva, to whom he was closest, soon turned to crime. New biography of notorious Frankie Fraser promises to reveal the late The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. Indeed, his criminality was closely bound up with what one criminologist described as an overt almost Samurai vindication of violent action in pursuit of inverted honour. Getting them to relive their exploits had its own difficulties at the start the only time they had ever been interviewed was by the police and they were used to keeping their own counsel. '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. Mink stoles and furs were the top prize, but some of the gang stole silverware and one even put on a maternity girdle to pinch an entire china tea set. 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. Frank Davidson "Frankie" Fraser, better known as "Mad" Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London, he grew up in poverty and was the youngest of five children, Fraser and his sister Eva, whom he was close too, turned to crime at the age of 10, on several occasions during World War 2, Fraser would escape his barracks and deserting many a times. When Frank Sinatra came to London in the early 1970s, he made a special visit in his limo to Eva in her little terrace house in South London to pay his respects. After being sent to HM Prison Durham for taking part in bank robberies, he was again certified insane and this time was sent to Broadmoor Hospital. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. Frankie Fraser | The Kray Twins Wiki | Fandom Physically slight at only 5ft 4in, and invariably wearing a smile and in retirement a sharp Savile Row suit, Frankie Fraser was nevertheless a ferocious and brutal hatchet man. Frank Davidson Fraser (13 December 1923 - 26 November 2014), better known as 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, was an English gangster who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. She helped support her young siblings by taking milk and bread from neighbour's doorsteps. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. [26] On 21 November 2014, he fell critically ill during leg surgery at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill[27] and was placed into an induced coma. Theres one account of one of Peggys colleagues pretending to still be single so she could carry on working as a Post Office manager. Whereas for Eva it was about her earning her own money on her own terms. He was said to have pulled out the teeth of one of the victims with a pair of pliers. The trial which became one of the longest in British criminal history. 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. "You name it, we nicked it," he says. Fraser was acquitted but received five years for affray. 'I felt it was time for their story to be told and it inspired my novel, which is the first in a planned trilogy for Orion about the gang, stretching from the 1920s to the 1950s.'. For latest book news including updates on the forthcoming film Mad Frank and Sons please like my page Beezy Marsh. Jack 'Spot' Comer showing the scar on his face left by Frankie Fraser and Alf Warren (GETTY), By 1956, Fraser had racked up 15 convictions and had twice been certified insane. 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. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. Furs were rolled on the hanger and tucked into the women's undergarments when the store assistant was distracted, while jewellery and watches were swapped for fake versions and hidden under hats or in their hair. Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. Even decent folk were often only too happy to 'take a bit of crooked' to have something new. During his time behind bars he was involved in violence and was a major instigator in the Parkhurst Prison riots in 1969. [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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. By Emer Scully and Beezy Marsh for MailOnline, Published: 10:41 GMT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 13:07 GMT, 4 November 2021. Please report any comments that break our rules. [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. Possessed of a ready wit and good repartee, he followed this up with stage performances both in the East and West End, where he appeared with his then companion of 10 years, Marilyn Wisbey, the daughter of a Great Train Robber, Tommy Wisbey. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. To evade discovery they posted the stolen items back to London or depositing a suitcase of loot at the railway station's left luggage office, to be collected later. 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. When police switched on to the gang's methods they branched out, with trips to Southend, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester. After Frasers release from the Spot sentence, he was courted by the Kray Twins and the Richardson gang. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. Once he said he would do something, he did it, and he despised others who backed down. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. There was also quite a comeuppance for both Patrick and David who both served their time. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. Who was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser? | The Irish Sun The Old Bailey jury heard, in grisly detail that still resonates 50 years on, how Frankie Fraser tried to pull Coulstons teeth out one by one with a pair of pliers. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. MAD FRANK & SONS, by David Fraser, Patrick Fraser and Beezy Marsh is published by Sidgwick and Jackson on June 2. During the 1940s it was not unusual for 'hoisters', a historical term for shoplifters, to be paid a hundred pounds a week - out earning men's average wages ten-to-one. While still a teenager, in the spring of 1943, he took part in a daring raid to free an Army deserter from a squad sent to collect him from Wandsworth Prison. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . View our online Press Pack. The grim terraces of Waterloo and the tenements of Elephant and Castle provided plenty of girls desperate enough to join The Forty Thieves. A keen Arsenal supporter, Fraser had four sons, the first three of whom, Frank Jr, David and Patrick, followed to an extent in his footsteps. 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. The big question everyone has about Frank is Was he really mad? He was certified insane three times once by the Army, twice in prison and he was diagnosed as a psychopath but his family argue, and I tend to agree, that he played the system to suit himself. Frankie Fraser obituary | Crime | The Guardian After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. Editors' Code of Practice. Tue 11 Jun 2013 11.55 EDT He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. Bought stolen goods and sold them on in a role known as 'the fence'. 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.. Frank stole because he loved to have money yet when he had it, he gave it all away. [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. Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. At the same time Fraser was concerned to protect his West End business interests, chiefly the installation and operation (on an exclusive basis) in the clubs of Soho of one-armed bandits, or fruit machines, then growing in popularity. After one snatch, he and his companion were arrested when their car would not start. It was a thief's paradise, Gor blimey! Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. Fraser was released in 1988 and almost immediately served a two-year sentence for receiving. He was also tried in court in the so-called 'Torture trial', in which members of the Richardson Gang were charged with burning, electrocuting, and whipping those found guilty of disloyalty. As a reward, he was shown his examination answers, and thats how I come top, he later boasted. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. According to Eddie Richardson, Fraser had Alzheimer's disease for the last three years of his life. Fraser also appeared as East End crime boss Pops Den in the feature film Hard Men, a forerunner of British gangster movies such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and had a documentary made of his life, Mad Frank. [28], "Gangland enforcer sets the record straight about 'the bad old days': Rhys Williams meets "Mad" Frankie Fraser, once known as Britain's most violent man", "Find & contact The White Hart in Waterloo", "Local and community news, opinion, video & pictures - Southport Visiter", "Tories condemn prisoners' freedom to read criminal memoirs", "Gangland enforcer 'Mad' Frankie Fraser dies at 90", "Mad Frankie Fraser given Asbo at age of 89 after bust-up at care home", "Gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser dies at 90", "Mad Frankie Fraser dead: Notorious gangster dies in hospital aged 90 following leg surgery", Personal website with biography and details of gangland tours, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frankie_Fraser&oldid=1107726220, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 15:09. 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. Daughter. Fraser spent practically half his life behind bars. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. But by the time of his death at the age of 90 from complications following leg surgery, Fraser had become something of a minor celebrity. Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser was a notorious English gangster, Funeral of South London enforcer, FRANKIE FRASER at Honour Oak Crematorium, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. Keeping My Sisters Secrets was published on July 27 by Pan Macmillan. Comments have been closed on this article. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. End-right girl on the back row is Eva.. VIEWS Every old-school south Londoner knows the folklore of cockney criminal Frankie Fraser, whose violent tendencies were infamous on the streets of Walworth. The criminal, who has spent almost half his life in prison, passed away earlier at King's. Members of The Forty Thieves worked department stores including Selfridges in teams of three or four during hoisting trips up to three times a week. The Guardian, October 12 1980 Frank Fraser is a thorn in the Prison Department's side - a thorn so big that he is possibly the only British criminal who has become a legend simply by serving time. A feature film production is currently[when?] What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. Frankie Fraser: Died On This Day in 2014, Aged 90 - The NCS The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. In the summer of 2013 it emerged that, at the age of 89, Fraser had been served with an Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) after another incident, this time at his care home in Peckham, south London. 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. '", 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. Author returns with book about the fascinating lives of notorious Richardson Gang - Wikipedia This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, 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 Ms 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. There was no evidence that Fraser had fired the fatal shots, and although he claimed to have been fitted up for the killing, he was convicted of affray and sentenced to five years imprisonment. 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. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. 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. From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. In the early half of the 20th century one queen, Diamond, regularly appeared in the press where she was once described as a 'tall and commanding figure with a cool demeanour'. Involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. [9] He was so attired when, in 1951, he attacked the governor of Wandsworth prison, William Lawton, as he walked his pet terrier on Wandsworth Common. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. 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. They stole to put food on the table. The gang's ringleaders appeared in a secret register of criminals, that is now kept by the National Archives, which then existed to help police track down the most persistent offenders. 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. In 1966 he was charged with the murder of Richard Hart, who was shot at a club in Catford, but the charges were dropped when a witness changed their testimony. Having chronicled the life of old mad Frank, author Beezy Marsh has turned her pen to Peggy, Kathleen and Eva; in her new book Keeping My Sisters Secrets. In 1941, Fraser was given his first taste of punishment when he was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store. 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. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. They also spoke, as Frank did, using the prison slang of a bygone era, which they had to translate for me. 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. In 1991, while emerging from Turnmills nightclub in Clerkenwell, London, he was shot at by an unidentified gunman. For a time he was engaged to Marilyn Wisbey, daughter of the Great Train Robber Tommy Wisbey, with whom he briefly ran a massage parlour in Islington, in which Fraser made the tea. But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. 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. There were further language difficulties. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. Mad' Frankie Fraser and London's Most Notorious Gangsters Pictured: The female cast of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders. Mad Frankie Fraser - Everything2.com Fraser himself was charged with pulling out people's teeth with pliers and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. He was full of contradictions: He hated authority but at the same time he understood the need for society to have rules and was against anarchy. You understand the choices that lay ahead of you if you were a working-class girl. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Women carried tools needed for burglaries so the police had no evidence if they stopped the men following the crime. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders, including Billy Hill in the 1950s and the Richardson gang in the 1960s. The Forty Thieves posed as wealthy housewives innocently browsing the rails of the UK's most luxurious clothing stores before shoving stolen items down their undergarments. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. He received a further five years when, in 1970, he was acquitted of incitement to murder but convicted of grievous bodily harm after he had led the Parkhurst prison riot the previous year. After the war, he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill, for whom he carried out razor attacks. A ponce was someone who thieves looked down on, because they lived by taking a cut from someone elses earnings. The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. I saved myself from Royal life, Harry says & insists 'sharing's an act of service', Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, Coronation Street fans horrified as Amy Barlow is raped in disturbing scenes, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. Another of Fraser's grandsons, James Fraser, also spent a short time with Bristol Rovers. 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. With the help of Hill and mafia interests, Fraser and Eddie Richardson established Atlantic Machines, a successful business placing one-armed bandits in clubs throughout Britain. He had an ungovernable temper and an inability to think through the undoubted consequences of his proposed actions. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. A famous Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale, has often been associated with Fraser and the Kray twins and some aspects of the new documentary may add to this impression. Before then, Fraser had been involved in smash-and-grab raids and wages snatches. The Forty Thieves, a London-based exclusively female gang whose exploits were worse than those depicted in BBC drama the Peaky Blinders, posed as wealthy housewives innocently browsing the rails of the UK's most luxurious clothing stores. The notorious English gangster turned to a life of a crime and before he knew it, he was behind bars. 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. '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. 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. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. But when her brother Frankie was in prison, she helped to run his protection rackets in Soho and even sent her daughters to collect payments, as the police would not stop a child. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road inWaterloo,London on December 13, 1923. "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. Fraser was just 13 when he was sent to an approved school for stealing 40 cigarettes. Beezy reveals how the girls father would beat their mother a big influence on their outlook. 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. Family ways of 'Mad' Frankie | The Northern Echo Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. Prisoners and ex-prisoners all over Britain speak about him with undisguised admiration. [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". As an adult she was beaten by one of her boyfriends and the father of five of her seven children, Chris Hawkins, who was a fruit and vegetable seller in Hoxton. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. [16], Fraser's 42 years served in over 20 different prisons in the UK were often coloured by violence.
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