Daughter. Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. 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. He was still serving his sentence for the Catford affray when he was handed a further 10 years for his part in the Richardson torture case. 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. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. 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. Peggy stayed out of crime and worked for the Post Office. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. His greatest moment of national notoriety came during what was known as the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, which became . She was one of the top thieves during the war. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. During World War 2 he was a deserter - escaping from his barracks on several occasions. 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. 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. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. '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. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. In August 1963, invited to take part in the Great Train Robbery, Fraser pulled out because he was on the run from the police. He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. 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. After one snatch, he and his companion were arrested when their car would not start. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please The notorious English gangster turned to a life of a crime and before he knew it, he was behind bars. People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. 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. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. Ancestors . Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. 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. Comments have been closed on this article. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. After the war, he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill, for whom he carried out razor attacks. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. After trying his hand at crime as a child, Fraser then continued into his later life. She helped him sell on his loot. It was during this sentence that he was first certified insane and was sent to Cane Hill Hospital before being released in 1949. A feature film production is currently[when?] Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. 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. Francis Davidson "Frankie" Fraser, better known as "Mad" Frankie Fraser,was an English gang member and criminal who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. 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. The police were cozzers and a burglary was a screwer, hitting someone was a clump, while jewellery was tom as in Tom Foolery, in rhyming slang. 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. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. Please report any comments that break our rules. 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. She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. Because of Frasers behaviour in jail over the years, he forfeited almost every day of his remission. She was chauffeured in a Bentley and always wore a sable coat. 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. Frank Davidson Fraser[1] (13 December 1923 26 November 2014),[2] better known as "Mad" Frankie Fraser, was an English gangster who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. 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. 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. 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. The singer, 29, bared his chest and showed off his . 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. 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. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. 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. 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. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. His parents never knew about his illegal activities, and if they ever suspected him apparently turned a blind eye, a habit . 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. One such member was Lilian Goldstein, who was known as the Bob-Haired Bandit. 'The other side of the story involves these feisty women and it is perhaps more fascinating given the limited powers such working class girls had to earn a decent wage.'. She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. In 1996 he was cast as the gangleader Pops Den in the film Hard Men, which premiered at the London film festival. 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. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. 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. '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. Following a trial at theOld Baileyin 1967, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. 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. He also claimed to have been the first bandit to wear a stocking mask. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. 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. 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. Because of the type of person I am, he wrote, in the life I led, you learn to shrug off adversity better than people whove worked hard all their lives.. The gang passed on their secrets from mother to daughter, aunt to niece, so whole generations of families saw crime as a way of life. 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. 'Speaking to relatives of some of the original gang members during my research for Queen of Thieves, I was struck by how secretive the gang had been about its methods, and how much of a career choice it was for working class girls. 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. Shegot her first criminal record aged just 14 and, in 1923, she was jailed after running out of a jeweller's with a tray of 34 diamond rings straight into the arms of a policeman. 42 years a lag She had died in. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. 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!' Queen of Thieves, by author and journalist Beezy Marsh (published by Orion, November 4 2021, 8.99). 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. 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. On 26 November, Fraser died after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. He spent 42 years almost half his life in prison for 26 offences. 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. The book upset some of those mentioned in it, and Morton was dismayed to arrive home one evening to find a message from Fraser on his answering machine, demanding to speak to him urgently. 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 certain cult status in later life as an author, after-dinner speaker, television pundit and tour guide. 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. Sister of Frankie Davidson Fraser. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. Fraser was seen kicking Richard Hart, a Kray associate, as he lay on the pavement outside. Some became pals with young actresses as they partied in Soho nightclubs and stole dresses to order for them to wear on the red carpet. 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. 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. contact the editor here. [9], Fraser was an Arsenal fan, and his grandson Tommy Fraser is a professional footballer. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. Fraser received seven years. 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". [9] Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. 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. 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. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. He had been shot in the face. ", 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. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Had it all gone to plan, she could have inhabited a very different side of the West End to her little sister Eva. She also passed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. 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. The grim terraces of Waterloo and the tenements of Elephant and Castle provided plenty of girls desperate enough to join The Forty Thieves. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. in development with Fraser's endorsement. "Maybe he was bored with going to prison," Ronnie Richardson, Charlie's widow, tells the programme. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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. You understand the choices that lay ahead of you if you were a working-class girl. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. . By the 1950s, the gang were facing ever-present store detectives and had to rely more on disguises. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. While the award-winning TV show Peaky Blinders was inspired by the all-male Brummagem Boys gang from the same period, the Forty Thieves make some of even their escapades seem tame by comparison. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. 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. He was moved from prison to prison more than 100 times because he was virtually impossible to control. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. 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. Frankie Fraser, born December 13 1923, died November 26 2014, Frankie Fraser at Repton Boxing Club in 2005, Rishi Sunak to host Coronation Big Lunch at Downing Street, Erik ten Hag: Man Utd were a mess with no rules Casemiro has helped sort them out, How Ollie Lawrence became England's missing piece, Harlequins set attendance record but rampant Exeter spoil Twickenham party, Marcus Smith sends England message to Steve Borthwick with man-of-the-match performance, Super-sub Reiss Nelson completes thrilling Arsenal fightback. These recollections, while often disordered and jumbled, nevertheless shed light on Frasers shameless and unrepentant defiance of the liberal consensus. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. Beezy reveals how the girls father would beat their mother a big influence on their outlook. Even decent folk were often only too happy to 'take a bit of crooked' to have something new. Swathed in luxurious fur coats, wearing diamond rings as a knuckledusters and hats to hide their stolen wares, Britain's most notorious all-female gang ruledthe tenements of Waterloo and Elephant and Castle and earned the respect of Soho's most feared underworld bosses. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. [11] In 1942, while serving a prison sentence in HM Prison Chelmsford, he came to the attention of the British Army. "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. The reader is also introduced to the girls brother Jim, who became a sergeant in the army and fought in North Africa. The publisher also decided to include a glossary for the reader. 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. The comments below have not been moderated. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. 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. 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. Fraser in 1997 with his then girlfriend Marilyn Wisbey, daughter Of Great Train Robber Tom Wisbey (REX FEATURES). Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. 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. 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. A Gannett Company. 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. View our online Press Pack. 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. HP10 9TY. During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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.. 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. He was a member of the Richardson gang or the 'torture gang', led by brothers Charlie and Eddie Richardson, and were widely feared in Londons underworld. She was sentenced to five months. 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. 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. The years just after World War II were a boom time for the gang, as clothing was rationed until 1949. He was a rock.. They also spoke, as Frank did, using the prison slang of a bygone era, which they had to translate for me. Their alleged specialities included pulling teeth out using pliers, cutting off toes using bolt cutters and nailing victims to floors using 6-inch nails. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. Throughout his life he denied the justice of this conviction, but he was happy to trade off it. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves. And involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. What Fraser invariably threatened was violence. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. They enjoyed buying nice things with the money and putting on the posh. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. Eva Brindle formerly Fraser. 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. In 1941, Fraser was given his first taste of punishment when he was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store. 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. Each incident added more time to his sentence. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. Then they were turned over to Fraser. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. She would send her girls out in teams of three or four at least three days a week, to stores all over London and as far afield as Birmingham and Brighton. Fraser died at the age of 91 on November 26, 2014. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. His fourth son, Francis, in Frasers joking words, let me down by having no criminal career at all. The trial which became one of the longest in British criminal history. What saved him I think was the branch; it was supple and it bent. Although Lawton survived, the dog died. 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. 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. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. In 1938, she was sentenced for stabbing a policeman in the eye with a hatpin. 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. Another of Fraser's grandsons, James Fraser, also spent a short time with Bristol Rovers. 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. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? 'It gave them a life they could never have afforded. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime. 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. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Once he said he would do something, he did it, and he despised others who backed down. In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. [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. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. 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.
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