Ancestors . Eva Fraser - the sister of notorious gangster Mad Frankie Fraser - was reputedly one of the last members of the Queens of the Forty Thieves shoplifting gang, which sold stolen goods from. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. At 17 he was sent to Borstal for breaking and entering a hosiery shop in Waterloo and was then given a 15-month prison sentence for shopbreaking. 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. She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. As a solicitor, I defended him in the trial following the Parkhurst riot and as a result wrote a number of books with him. 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. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. View our online Press Pack. 'And they were the best fun for a night out.'. Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. He then worked for legendary Soho crime boss Billy Hill in the 1950s, earning the nickname razor Fraser for his attacks on those who crossed him, before becoming embroiled in protection rackets in the 1960s, rising to the position of the Boss of Soho. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. He was working all the hours he got sent, but he couldnt make ends meet. These recollections, while often disordered and jumbled, nevertheless shed light on Frasers shameless and unrepentant defiance of the liberal consensus. 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! When she married the father of five of her seven children, Chris Hawkins, he subjected her to cruel beatings - but quickly stopped following a warning from the Kray Twins. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. Two people were left dead. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them, Some of London's The Forty Thieves' antics made the Peaky Blinders look like choirboys. Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. 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. He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26 offences, has been issued with an asbo after an incident in his residential accommodation. When shoplifting she used a number of techniques including: wearing different wigs, putting stolen items under her skirt and the use of barrier bags lined with tin foil to prevent the detection of security tags. [15] In 1966, Fraser was charged with the murder of Richard Hart, who was shot at Mr Smith's club in Catford while other Richardson associates, including Jimmy Moody, were charged with affray. Nevertheless he was good at sports, captaining the football team at St Patricks school, Southwark, and boxing as an amateur. ", 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. 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. Because of Frasers behaviour in jail over the years, he forfeited almost every day of his remission. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. The comments below have not been moderated. Born 1920s. According to Eddie Richardson, Fraser had Alzheimer's disease for the last three years of his life. An unregenerate villain of the deepest dye, Fraser satisfied the public appetite for vicarious thrill-seeking with a series of self-exculpatory memoirs in the 1990s that launched him on a twilight career as a celebrity criminal. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. He was a known associate of gangster Billy Hill throughout the 1950s. 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. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s. It was during this sentence that he was first certified insane and was sent to Cane Hill Hospital before being released in 1949. '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. They worked department stores including Selfridges in teams of three or four during hoisting trips up to three times a week. It spent six weeks in the Sunday Times top ten and held the coveted #1 Globe and Mail chart slot in Canada for three months. [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. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. "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. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. And I felt the same way,' she said. He later joined the notorious Richardson gang, formed by brothers Eddie and Charlie, and began carrying out more criminal activities. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can 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. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. Editors' Code of Practice. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. Fraser, he recalled, was more than capable of doing what he threatened. After trying his hand at crime as a. 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. 'In fact, she was one of the people who spotted his talent for stealing after he pinched a cigarette machine from a hotel as a small boy. He also ran a coach tour pointing out to a spectrum of customers the old criminal London. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. 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. Members of The Forty Thieves, whose mugshots were captured by the Police Gazette ahead of regular stays at Holloway Prison, often wore beautifully designed hats, coats and dresses in order to fit in - known as 'putting on the posh'. 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. Although he was never convicted of murder, police reportedly held him responsible for 40 killings, but the bluster and bravado of a media-savvy gangland relic almost certainly inflated this tally, the actual scale of which remains unfathomable. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. 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. 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. 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. Their alleged specialities included pulling teeth out using pliers, cutting off toes using bolt cutters and nailing victims to floors using 6-inch nails. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. Fraser owed his success in the fruit machine business to Billy Hill, whose patronage Fraser courted when he attacked and almost killed Hills gangland rival Jack "Spot" Comer. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. News reports were checked to see how much was owing. Pictured, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus in the 1920s, Petite shoplifter Bertha Tappenden (right) 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 (left). 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). Each incident added more time to his sentence. His major stretch in prison came at the end of the Swinging Sixties, shortly before his rivals, the Krays, were jailed, but he was so badly behaved behind bars that he lost every day of remission and even had five years added to his sentence for one of the worst riots in prison history at Parkhurst in the Isle of Wight. He had an ungovernable temper and an inability to think through the undoubted consequences of his proposed actions. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. The most famous queen,Alice Diamond, was the daughter of a docker and renowned for her row of diamond rings that doubled as a knuckle duster. They enjoyed buying nice things with the money and putting on the posh. 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. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share A witness changed his testimony and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. 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. The publisher also decided to include a glossary for the reader. 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. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. 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. Francis Davidson Fraser, criminal, born 13 December 1923; died 26 November 2014, Gangland criminal and in later life a minor media celebrity, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Frankie Fraser in 2002. 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. It was during the Second World War that he was branded 'Mad' Frankie, after he feigned a mental illness to avoid being called up to the front line. After Frasers release from the Spot sentence, he was courted by the Kray Twins and the Richardson gang. Keeping My Sisters Secrets was published on July 27 by Pan Macmillan. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. 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. Underneath glamorous ensembles the women wore specially-adapted petticoats with hidden pockets or baggy bloomers with elastic at the knee. Sometimes the hoisters' lives became entangled with those of underworld bosses through affairs, family ties or marriage. End-right girl on the back row is Eva.. Every old-school south Londoner knows the folklore of cockney criminal Frankie Fraser, whose violent tendencies were infamous on the streets of Walworth. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. Born to criminal parents in Southwark, South London, in 1886, her first crimes were aiding and abetting men. What Fraser invariably threatened was violence. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. 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. ", A deserter during the war he pretended to be mad to avoid the call-up Fraser was certified insane three times and spent time in Broadmoor secure hospital. His greatest moment of national notoriety came during what was known as the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, which became . When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. Even the gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, whose sister Eva was a leading light in the gang in the thirties and forties, spoke with great reverence about Alice Diamond. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. 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. She helped support her young siblings by taking milk and bread from neighbour's doorsteps. The reader is also introduced to the girls brother Jim, who became a sergeant in the army and fought in North Africa. Though like Eva, she struggled to come to terms with the choice facing women to work or marry. Women carried tools needed for burglaries so the police had no evidence if they stopped the men following the crime. Beezy a former Sunday Times journalist whose biography Mad Frank & Sons was published last year was given unprecedented access to interview the family and learn about the three bold women, who grew up in Howley Terrace, in Waterloo during the 1930s. However, it was the during the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, that Frankie Fraser become notorious nationally. 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. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. Her wartime experience was spent on the switchboards during the Blitz. AS is the case with so many crime families, the key to understanding the men came through getting to know the women who cared for them. Francis Davidson Fraser, known as Mad Frankie Fraser, was the scourge of prison governors and warders up and down Britain during the periods when he served a total of more than 40 years imprisonment. 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. 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. When police switched on to the gang's methods they branched out, with trips to Southend, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester. Fraser received seven years. 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.

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