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. '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.'. 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'. 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. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. She also passed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. 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. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. He emerged from jail in 1989 and has not been back since. Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. '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. After the war, Fraser was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller, for which he received a two-year prison sentence, mostly served atHMP Pentonville. We'll never send you spam or share your email address. 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. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. 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. In 1969 Fraser led the Parkhurst prison riot on the Isle of Wight and found himself back in court charged with incitement to murder. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. '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. 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. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. Ancestors . He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. of James Fraser and Margaret Alice (Anderson) Fraser. Mason was found, barely alive, wearing only his underpants and wrapped in a blanket, on the steps of the London Hospital in Whitechapel. Fraser became a minor celebrity of sorts, appearing on television shows such as Operation Good Guys,[18] Shooting Stars,[19] and the satirical show Brass Eye,[20] where he said Noel Edmonds should be shot for killing Clive Anderson (an incident invented by the show's producers), and writing an autobiography. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. 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. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. '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. contact the editor here. [16], Fraser's 42 years served in over 20 different prisons in the UK were often coloured by violence. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. Mad Frank. An early nickname Razor Fraser reflected his penchant for shivving his enemies faces with a cut-throat blade. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. '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. 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 was moved from prison to prison more than 100 times because he was virtually impossible to control. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. "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. 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! Shortly afterwards, Fraser kidnapped Eric Mason, a Kray gang member, outside the Astor Club in Berkeley Square, with even direr consequences. 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 certain cult status in later life as an author, after-dinner speaker, television pundit and tour guide. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. 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. [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. Fraser treated his various brushes with death as an occupational hazard: his thigh bone was shattered by a bullet fired during the melee in Catford, and part of his mouth was shot away in an incident in May 1991 when someone botched an attempt to assassinate him outside a nightclub in Farringdon. But his criminal activities didn't stop when he was locked up. Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". 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. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. 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. Borstal was followed by prison, where in 1943 he met the influential London villain Billy Hill, for whom he worked on and off for more than a decade, culminating in his slashing of Hills rival Jack Spot in 1956 after the self-styled kings of the underworld had fallen out. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. 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. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. In 1991, while emerging from Turnmills nightclub in Clerkenwell, London, he was shot at by an unidentified gunman. I just waited, caught up with him, knocked him about and strung him up with his dog, Fraser remembered. Because of Frasers behaviour in jail over the years, he forfeited almost every day of his remission. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. Frankie Fraser was tried at the Old Bailey for Harts murder, while six others, including Eddie Richardson, faced lesser charges. 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. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. However, it was the during the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, that Frankie Fraser become notorious nationally. 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. 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. 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. Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. . 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. Photograph: Crime and Investigation network. 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. 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. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. [3][4], Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. 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. He appeared on pop records and in television documentaries, toured his one-man show of criminal reminiscences (flexing a pair of gilded pliers), and found himself invited into bookshops to sign copies of his memoirs. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. They bought fur coats, jewellery and went dancing in West End nightclubs. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. 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. Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. A witness later changed histestimony,and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. '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. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. 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. After one snatch, he and his companion were arrested when their car would not start. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. 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. 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. Facebook gives people the power. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". Alice herself was famous for clouting three furs in one go: one down each leg and one under her gusset. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. "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. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. Peggy stayed out of crime and worked for the Post Office. It will only make me a worse villain! Diamond's second-in-command Maggie Hughes 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! Aged 17 she was convicted for stealing from a hat shop in Oxford Street. He spent more than 40 years in prison. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. 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. 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. 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!' They stole to put food on the table. Fraser has complained in the past that "I had no help from my family; my mother and father were dead straight so I had to make my own way. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. 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. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. Fraser was released in 1988 and almost immediately served a two-year sentence for receiving. The comments below have not been moderated. By the time of the Swinging Sixties, she was drinking champagne with the Krays. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. The pair were the only ones of the children to embrace a life of crime. 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.
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