What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. He saw himself as an innovator, claiming to have invented the Friday gang, robbing wages clerks carrying money from banks; he would use a starting handle to beat his victims and to deter any watching have-a-go heroes in the street. 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. I don't think they felt bad about it. 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. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. 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. A witness changed his testimony and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. The first came when he was in the army during the second world war, the second time when he was sent to Cane Hill psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon, Surrey, and the third when he was transferred from Durham prison to Broadmoor. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. "You name it, we nicked it," he says. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. 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. His enduring nickname Mad Frank derived from his violent temperament which caused him to attempt to hang the governor of Wandsworth prison (and the governors dog) from a tree, and to be certified insane on three separate occasions.
Who was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser? | The Irish Sun [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. 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!' Aged 17 she was convicted for stealing from a hat shop in Oxford Street. You understand the choices that lay ahead of you if you were a working-class girl. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. She had known their father, who was a fence (seller of stolen goods) or a 'thieves' ponce' - he would put up the money to finance criminal operations - which was a career on which she looked down. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. Police name woman found dead on Rotherhithe estate and charge her husband with murder, Camberwell man charged with attempted murder after an attack on a bus in Oxford Street, Kingsdale plans to expand pupil admissions despite fears it will draw students away from other secondary schools, TV actress Ruth Wilson to star in 24-hour play opposite a 100 men at the Young Vic, Damp, mould and biting bugs: Denmark Hill-based mum concerned for her babies, Closing schools will not be sold off as flats, council pledges, Man charged with murder of Shaun McEvoy in Kennington, Honor Oak man convicted of manslaughter after row broke out when victim mistook the killers car for an Uber, Police appeal after lone woman repeatedly stamped on in shocking Borough robbery for her handbag, View digital editions of our print products, Secrets of Elephant and Castles notorious all-women gang revealed in new book, New biography of notorious Frankie Fraser promises to reveal the late career criminals family life, Campaigners keep up calls to reopen Camberwell Station with massive cake, Rotherhithes most unusual property just sold at auction for 1.5 million to a local buyer, Exclusive: Rotherhithe business owner just days away from being evicted after over 20 years of serving the community, Teenager in critical condition after stabbing by Old Kent Road McDonalds, Murder inquiry launched after woman found dead and injured man arrested on suspicion of killing her, Walworths secret Victorian bollard dubbed the silent sentinel, Exclusive: Was it a hammer attack? At his funeral, one of his old prison friends summed him up: Whether he has gone upstairs or downstairs, I cant say, but wherever he is, you can be sure of this: he will be protesting about the conditions.. His fourth son, Francis, in Frasers joking words, let me down by having no criminal career at all.
Harry Styles bares his impressively toned torso and body art at gig Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. '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. 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'. She and her friends looked like film stars when they went out down the pub. Fraser was just 13 when he was sent to an approved school for stealing 40 cigarettes. Both Fraser and Warren received seven-year sentences. From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. Each incident added more time to his sentence. Mad Frank: Memoirs of a Life of Crime appeared in 1994, with two further volumes following in 1998 and 2001. 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. 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. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard during the 1940s and 1950s.
'Mad Frank' the thug, hitman and enforcer Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. Then they were turned over to Fraser. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. 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. During World War 2 he was a deserter - escaping from his barracks on several occasions. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks.
Frankie Fraser obituary | Crime | The Guardian After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. 'And they were the best fun for a night out.'. Fraser also appeared as East End crime boss Pops Den in the feature film Hard Men, a forerunner of British gangster movies such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and had a documentary made of his life, Mad Frank. They also spoke, as Frank did, using the prison slang of a bygone era, which they had to translate for me. She was sentenced to five months. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. Nevertheless his campaigns and, on the outside, those of Eva, did bring the attention of the general public to the unpalatable conditions in which prisoners served then their sentences. Franks mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his best pal and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. 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. One such member was Lilian Goldstein, who was known as the Bob-Haired Bandit. 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.
His new career took off and he was in regular demand as a radio and television pundit. 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.
Eva (Fraser) Brindle (1920s-2000s) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. It was just what we knew and to be honest, we loved it.. 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". Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. Descendants . Fraser himself was charged with pulling out people's teeth with pliers and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall - despite police records from 1919 putting her at 5ft9in. 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.
Who was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser? | The Scottish Sun 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. Mink stoles and furs were the top prize, but some of the gang stole silverware and one even put on a maternity girdle to pinch an entire china tea set. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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. 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. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. ", 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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.
'Mad' Frankie Fraser handed Asbo at the age of 89 | Metro News Frankie Fraser: Died On This Day in 2014, Aged 90 - The NCS When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. On the morning of Derek Bentleys execution at Wandsworth in 1953, he spat at the executioner Albert Pierrepoint and tried to attack him. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. 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. He chose the latter because they had taken sides on behalf of his sisters husband, Tommy Brindle, who had received a heavy beating by the Rosa brothers from the Elephant and Castle.
Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. 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. Photograph: Crime and Investigation network. 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! These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. 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. During the 1950s, Fraser's main criminal occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangsterBilly Hill. 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. [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. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. 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. "Maybe he was bored with going to prison," Ronnie Richardson, Charlie's widow, tells the programme. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s.
Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. She helped him sell on his loot. 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. 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. But Hill was already an admirer: a picture taken at a party to launch Hills ghosted autobiography in 1955 shows Fraser draped artistically over a piano.
Frankie Fraser Profiles | Facebook His parents never knew about his illegal activities, and if they ever suspected him apparently turned a blind eye, a habit . 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. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. [9] Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders, including Billy Hill in the 1950s and the Richardson gang in the 1960s. Facebook gives people the power.
Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. 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. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan.
Frankie Fraser - obituary - The Telegraph It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. 'It was not just a man's world, despite the countless column inches still spent poring over the phenomenon that was the Kray Twins,' she added. In August 1963, invited to take part in the Great Train Robbery, Fraser pulled out because he was on the run from the police. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. As an adult she was beaten by one of her boyfriends and the father of five of her seven children, Chris Hawkins, who was a fruit and vegetable seller in Hoxton. In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The Forty Thieves, a London-based exclusively female gang whose exploits were worse than those depicted in BBC drama the Peaky Blinders, posed as wealthy housewives innocently browsing the rails of the UK's most luxurious clothing stores. Fraser, whose health has been deteriorating in recent years, turned to crime aged just nine when he and his sister, Eva, became petty thieves. 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.. Possessed of a ready wit and good repartee, he followed this up with stage performances both in the East and West End, where he appeared with his then companion of 10 years, Marilyn Wisbey, the daughter of a Great Train Robber, Tommy Wisbey. A bucket boy would offer to clean the bookies' blackboards with a sponge, for which they were obliged to pay the Sabinis. He later joined the notorious Richardson gang, formed by brothers Eddie and Charlie, and began carrying out more criminal activities. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. He also attacked various governors. 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. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. As a young woman, Eva became an accomplished hoister (shoplifter). 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! The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. With Frankie Fraser, Chris Keenan, Steve Box, Michael Boyd. 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. 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. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. Fraser was one of the ringleaders of the major Parkhurst Prison riot in 1969, spending the following six weeks in the prison hospital because of his injuries. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. They enjoyed buying nice things with the money and putting on the posh. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards.
MAD FRANK and SONS - Home - Facebook [26] On 21 November 2014, he fell critically ill during leg surgery at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill[27] and was placed into an induced coma. 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. 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. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share Profile manager: Evelyn Wolff [send private message] Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. 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. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. 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. The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. Many of the Forty Thieves were noted for their beauty as well as their shoplifting skills, such as Madeline Partridge and her sister Laura, whose mother was often used by Diamond to sell stolen goods.
Mad' Frankie Fraser and London's Most Notorious Gangsters 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. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. 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. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. It will only make me a worse villain!'. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. He had an ungovernable temper and an inability to think through the undoubted consequences of his proposed actions. Having chronicled the life of old mad Frank, author Beezy Marsh has turned her pen to Peggy, Kathleen and Eva; in her new book Keeping My Sisters Secrets. 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. The publisher also decided to include a glossary for the reader. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. ', 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'. Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. The comments below have not been moderated. There was no evidence that Fraser had fired the fatal shots, and although he claimed to have been fitted up for the killing, he was convicted of affray and sentenced to five years imprisonment. By Emer Scully and Beezy Marsh for MailOnline, Published: 10:41 GMT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 13:07 GMT, 4 November 2021. Fraser was defended by a young solicitor called James Morton, who later became an author and wrote a history of Londons gangland in 1992. Frankie Fraser belonged to a bygone era of crime and was cut from a different cloth than so many other gangsters of his generation. But Beezy said: [Kathleen] experienced the slums of Waterloo as a place buzzing with excitement and the tight-knit community, with its Catholic Church parades, which gave her the chance to shine, though she instead works at the old Hartleys jam factory in Bermondsey.