Queen of Thieves: The gangland women who made Peaky Blinders look like But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. [6] Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Their alleged specialities included pulling teeth out using pliers, cutting off toes using bolt cutters and nailing victims to floors using 6-inch nails. 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). Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share As people facedblackouts, rationing and a lack of professional policing due toconscription, Fraser had ample opportunities for criminal activities, such as stealing from houses while the occupants were hiding for safety in air-raid shelters. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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. So it was in January 1965, when a club owner called Benny Coulston was hauled before Richardson for swindling him out of 600 over a consignment of cigarettes. 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. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser handed an asbo aged 90 - the Guardian Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. After one snatch, he and his companion were arrested when their car would not start. And involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. A bucket boy would offer to clean the bookies' blackboards with a sponge, for which they were obliged to pay the Sabinis. "At the races, I'd be bucket boy," says Fraser in the documentary, Frankie Fraser's Last Stand, which will be broadcast on the Crime and Investigation network on 16 June at 9pm. '", 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. Before then, Fraser had been involved in smash-and-grab raids and wages snatches. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any updates until your subscription is confirmed. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. There were further language difficulties. 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. Peggy stayed out of crime and worked for the Post Office. He also ran a coach tour pointing out to a spectrum of customers the old criminal London. At the age of five, Fraser, running in the road to beg for cigarette cards, was knocked down, and from his injuries he developed meningitis. [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . 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. Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. 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. Notorious 1930s West End girl gang who hid stolen jewellery in [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. He was then then given a 15-month prison sentence atHMP Wandsworthfor shop-breaking - this was just the first of 20 prisons Fraser would be sent to. Harry Styles bares his impressively toned torso and body art at gig He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. He claimed to have no regrets about his criminal life, apart from being caught. Two people were left dead. Fraser was placed into an induced coma, but just five days later, on November 26, 2014, Fraser passed away after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. Born 1920s. 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. 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. 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. He then became involved in serious crime - and the war provided a perfect backdrop with the blackout, rationing and a shortage of police officers. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. 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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. She helped support her young siblings by taking milk and bread from neighbour's doorsteps. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. 'My gran liked to go for tea at the Ritz, especially if she could pinch someone's fur coat from the cloakroom on the way out. The raids seem often to have been left to chance, and he was particularly unfortunate with cars. 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. [14] According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for the Great Train Robbery by bribing a policeman. But his criminal activities didn't stop when he was locked up. When the heat from the cops in London got too much, they headed off to the Costa del Crime to seek their fortunes there. 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. Its clear she still had to feed her family by acting on the wrong side of the law Beezy said. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. 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. His greatest moment of national notoriety came during what was known as the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, which became . The Soho gang boss Billy Hill - brother of the fiery Maggie Hughes - was also careful not to encroach too much on their territory because he respected their right to earn their own money, free from male interference. The notorious English gangster turned to a life of a crime and before he knew it, he was behind bars. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. Had her first criminal conviction aged 14 and went on to become Diamond's accomplice. 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. 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. Fraser was acquitted but received five years for affray.
