He was also tried in court in the so-called 'Torture trial', in which members of the Richardson Gang were charged with burning, electrocuting and whipping those found guilty of disloyalty by a kangaroo court. '", 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. 'Mad Frank' the thug, hitman and enforcer 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 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. Pictured: The female cast of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. Each incident added more time to his sentence. 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. 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. They worked department stores including Selfridges in teams of three or four during hoisting trips up to three times a week. 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. 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'. But when her brother Frankie was in prison, she helped to run his protection rackets in Soho and even sent her daughters to collect payments, as the police would not stop a child. Fraser received seven years. He was moved from prison to prison more than 100 times because he was virtually impossible to control. From the time of Frankie Fraser's - MAD FRANK and SONS | Facebook She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. News reports were checked to see how much was owing. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any updates until your subscription is confirmed. They enjoyed buying nice things with the money and putting on the posh. Eva Brindle formerly Fraser. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser handed Asbo at the age of 89 | Metro News [3][4], Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. His funeral took place on December 18, 2014. 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. Once again, he was sent toprison, this timefor taking part in bank robberies. For latest book news including updates on the forthcoming film Mad Frank and Sons please like my page Beezy Marsh. The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. Women carried tools needed for burglaries so the police had no evidence if they stopped the men following the crime. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. 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 Krays 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 Maggie 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. They didnt go to jail, they did bird or got a lagging. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. 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! Editors' Code of Practice. A feature film production is currently[when?] Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. ", 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. Mad Frank: Memoirs of a Life of Crime appeared in 1994, with two further volumes following in 1998 and 2001. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. 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 was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime. Author Beezy Marsh investigates criminal matriarchs of 1950s London It was just what we knew and to be honest, we loved it.. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. 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. But who were the gang's most brazen members? "Maybe he was bored with going to prison," Ronnie Richardson, Charlie's widow, tells the programme. Photos of Frankie "Mad" Fraser - Find a Grave Memorial 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. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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. Frank had been active as a criminal from the 1930s and was given his first prison sentence at the outbreak of the Second World War. The two Richardson brothers were convicted, and the elder, Charles, sentenced to 25 years. 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. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. Ronald 'Ronnie' Kray and Reginald 'Reggie' Kray, were identical twin brothers who led an organised crime ring in East London from the late 1950s to 1967. His parents never knew about his illegal activities, and if they ever suspected him apparently turned a blind eye, a habit . At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. Old London Photographs | This is Eva Fraser, sister of gangster " Mad His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". 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. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. With Frankie Fraser, Chris Keenan, Steve Box, Michael Boyd. Daughter. When police switched on to the gang's methods they branched out, with trips to Southend, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester. 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. None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them. [16], Fraser's 42 years served in over 20 different prisons in the UK were often coloured by violence. 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. Frankie Fraser: Died On This Day in 2014, Aged 90 - The NCS Eric wasnt a bad fellow, Fraser later explained, but that particular night he was bang out of order.. Frankie Fraser Profiles | Facebook In 1991, while emerging from Turnmills nightclub in Clerkenwell, London, he was shot at by an unidentified gunman. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please 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. [6] Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. 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. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. '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. Another grandson, Anthony Fraser, was being sought by police in February 2011 for his alleged involvement in an alleged 5 million cannabis smuggling ring. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. [9] He was a resident at a sheltered accommodation home in Peckham. Fraser was just 13 when he was sent to an approved school for stealing 40 cigarettes. 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. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 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 women, who carried razors wrapped in lace handkerchiefs, were known for violent outbursts - including one furore that resulted in a woman blinding a police officer by stabbing him in the eye with her hatpin. During his time behind bars he was involved in violence and was a major instigator in the Parkhurst Prison riots in 1969. She helped him sell on his loot. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. 'Mad Frankie' Fraser - a legend in his own gaol time There were car chases and bank raids which would not have looked out of place in The Sweeney. 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. Photograph: Crime and Investigation network. '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. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. Mad Frankie Fraser - Everything2.com Following a trial at the Old Bailey in 1967, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. [22], Fraser gave gangland tours around London, where he highlighted infamous criminal locations such as The Blind Beggar pub. 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. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. 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. 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. 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'. Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall - despite police records from 1919 putting her at 5ft9in. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . They would go through Selfridges department store in the West End and steal furs and expensive clothes. Born 1920s. As he languished in jail, his sons David and Patrick and their older brother, Frank Jnr currently living quietly on the Costa del Sol carved their own careers as bank robbers and jewellery thieves in 1970s London. 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. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. Eva (Fraser) Brindle. Join Facebook to connect with Frankie Fraser and others you may know. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. MAD FRANK & SONS, by David Fraser, Patrick Fraser and Beezy Marsh is published by Sidgwick and Jackson on June 2. 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. 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In 1938, she was sentenced for stabbing a policeman in the eye with a hatpin. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. His fourth son, Francis, in Frasers joking words, let me down by having no criminal career at all. '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. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. She was an alcoholic and onceran out of a jeweller with a tray of 34 diamond rings and bumped straight into a policeman. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. Profile manager: Evelyn Wolff [send private message] Here are some pictures of Eva Fraser - MAD FRANK and SONS | Facebook Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. He was a known associate of gangster Billy Hill throughout the 1950s. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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.