Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. He was very skilled at manipulating people and he played a long game, letting people believe he was mad, with the intention of winning in the end. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. Its clear she still had to feed her family by acting on the wrong side of the law Beezy said. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. His funeral took place on December 18, 2014. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. Her wartime experience was spent on the switchboards during the Blitz. The reader is also introduced to the girls brother Jim, who became a sergeant in the army and fought in North Africa. MAD FRANK & SONS, by David Fraser, Patrick Fraser and Beezy Marsh is published by Sidgwick and Jackson on June 2. . She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Mad Frank. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. Tue 11 Jun 2013 11.55 EDT He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. 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 not that he thought he was Napoleon. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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. 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. Once again, he was sent toprison, this timefor taking part in bank robberies. 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. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s. 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. But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. It will only make me a worse villain! [3][4], Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. Notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser died in hospital today aged 90, relatives have revealed. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Join Facebook to connect with Frankie Fraser and others you may know. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. 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. Born to criminal parents in Southwark, South London, in 1886, her first crimes were aiding and abetting men. The publisher also decided to include a glossary for the reader. As a reward, he was shown his examination answers, and thats how I come top, he later boasted. 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. 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. 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. Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. 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. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. In August 1963, invited to take part in the Great Train Robbery, Fraser pulled out because he was on the run from the police. Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves. Born inLambeth, south London, Frankie committed his first crime at the age of 13, when he stole a packet of cigarettes and was sent to an approved school. 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. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. 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. 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. Mothers would hide hoisted clothes in their prams and move them to pubs, where they were sold on. 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. Throughout his life he denied the justice of this conviction, but he was happy to trade off it. Diamond took her under her wing and showed her how to shoplift in 1947, when Pitts was just 12. After trying his hand at crime as a. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. 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. 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. 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. 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. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. 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. The youngest of five children, he grew up in poverty in the Elephant and Castle and Borough, areas teeming with moneylenders, prostitutes and backstreet abortionists. Fraser was acquitted but received five years for affray. Fraser was defended by a young solicitor called James Morton, who later became an author and wrote a history of Londons gangland in 1992. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. On the morning of Derek Bentleys execution at Wandsworth in 1953, he spat at the executioner Albert Pierrepoint and tried to attack him. Fraser received seven years. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. It will only make me a worse villain!'. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. Had it all gone to plan, she could have inhabited a very different side of the West End to her little sister Eva. He claimed to have no regrets about his criminal life, apart from being caught. [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. And I felt the same way,' she said. '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.'. The comments below have not been moderated. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. She and her friends looked like film stars when they went out down the pub. With Frankie Fraser, Chris Keenan, Steve Box, Michael Boyd. Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall - despite police records from 1919 putting her at 5ft9in. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Eric wasnt a bad fellow, Fraser later explained, but that particular night he was bang out of order.. 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. His mother was of Norwegian-Irish stock and his father was half Native American. 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. She was chauffeured in a Bentley and always wore a sable coat. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share The trial which became one of the longest in British criminal history. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. However, it was in the early 1960s that Fraser began to take on even bigger crimes, when he first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang - rivals to the Kray twins. [10], In 1941, Fraser was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store, then given a 15-month prison sentence at HM Prison Wandsworth for shop-breaking. However, it was the during the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, that Frankie Fraser become notorious nationally. 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. In 1941, Fraser was given his first taste of punishment when he was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store. A ponce was someone who thieves looked down on, because they lived by taking a cut from someone elses earnings. 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. ', As the photographs show, the women often wore beautifully designed hats , coats and dresses in order to fit in, known as 'putting on the posh'. But she was once caught stealing stockings and was sent to prison.. 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. Many started as child lookouts. The gang probably had its roots in the Victorian slums around Seven Dials, near Covent Garden, infamous in Dickens's day. 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. 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. Descendants . Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. 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). Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. 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 raids seem often to have been left to chance, and he was particularly unfortunate with cars. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". When he was 10, the pair stole a cigarette machine from a local pub, hauled it to some waste ground and jemmied it open. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. Sister of Frankie Davidson Fraser. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. The following year he was involved in a torture trial the Old Bailey, where members of the gang were charged with electrocuting, whipping and burning those disloyal to them. '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.'. Prisoners and ex-prisoners all over Britain speak about him with undisguised admiration. At her kitchen table, Alice would teach her girls how to roll furs on the hanger and shove them down their drawers, which the gang called 'clouting'. 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