frankie fraser sister eva

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. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share Even the gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, whose sister Eva was a leading light in the gang in the thirties and forties, spoke with great reverence about Alice Diamond. They stole to put food on the table. You understand the choices that lay ahead of you if you were a working-class girl. 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. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please According to one of his sons, David, Fraser was unharmed but he did not inform on his assailant. '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. When Frank Sinatra came to London in the early 1970s, he made a special visit in his limo to Eva in her little terrace house in South London to pay his respects. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. A witness later changed histestimony,and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was halfNative-American. Born to criminal parents in Southwark, South London, in 1886, her first crimes were aiding and abetting men. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. He claimed to have no regrets about his criminal life, apart from being caught. He stopped following a warning from the Kray Twins. Eva was a leading light in the gang in the thirties and forties, having risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. In 1991, while emerging from Turnmills nightclub in Clerkenwell, London, he was shot at by an unidentified gunman. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. 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. [12], 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 at HM Prison Pentonville. Mad Frank. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. Frankie Fraser belonged to a bygone era of crime and was cut from a different cloth than so many other gangsters of his generation. 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. Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. On the morning of Derek Bentleys execution at Wandsworth in 1953, he spat at the executioner Albert Pierrepoint and tried to attack him. Charles Richardson was a criminal businessman who reputedly specialised in various tortures administered at secret courts at which he presided, sometimes robed like a judge, a knife or a gun to hand. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. He spent more than 40 years in prison. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. 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. Frankie Fraser's Last Stand: Directed by Matt Blyth. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. The following year, the British mobster Jack Spot and wife Rita were attacked, on Hill's say-so, by Fraser, Bobby Warren and at least half a dozen other men. Eva Fraser - the sister of notorious gangster Mad Frankie Fraser - was reputedly one of the last members of the Queens of the Forty Thieves shoplifting gang, which sold stolen goods from. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? 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. 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. of James Fraser and Margaret Alice (Anderson) Fraser. Frankie Fraser was tried at the Old Bailey for Harts murder, while six others, including Eddie Richardson, faced lesser charges. His new career took off and he was in regular demand as a radio and television pundit. Descendants . In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. "You name it, we nicked it," he says. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper 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! 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. 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. 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. She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. While serving this sentence, Fraser received 10 years for his part in the so-called Richardson torture trial. 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. 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. He had been shot in the face. During the 1950s, Fraser's main occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangster Billy Hill. 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. Born 1920s. 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. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. 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. [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. As a young woman, Eva became an accomplished hoister (shoplifter). There was also quite a comeuppance for both Patrick and David who both served their time. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. 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". 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. 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. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. Please report any comments that break our rules. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. Shortly afterwards, Fraser kidnapped Eric Mason, a Kray gang member, outside the Astor Club in Berkeley Square, with even direr consequences. People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. They set up a fruit machine enterprise, which they would sell to pub landlords, to cover up their crimes. Fraser served a total of 42 years in over 20 different prisons in the UK for numerous violent offences. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. 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. Born on Cornwall Road, Waterloo, Lambeth, South London, Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. 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. 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. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. Following a trial at theOld Baileyin 1967, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. He later joined the notorious Richardson gang, formed by brothers Eddie and Charlie, and began carrying out more criminal activities. The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. Throughout his life he denied the justice of this conviction, but he was happy to trade off it. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. When the heat from the cops in London got too much, they headed off to the Costa del Crime to seek their fortunes there. 'It gave them a life they could never have afforded. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. In August 1963, invited to take part in the Great Train Robbery, Fraser pulled out because he was on the run from the police. They worked department stores including Selfridges in teams of three or four during hoisting trips up to three times a week. 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. 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. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. ', 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'. [9] [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. By 20 she was leader of The Forty Thieves and wore a row of diamond rings that acted as a knuckle duster. Another grandson, Anthony Fraser, was being sought by police in February 2011 for his alleged involvement in an alleged 5 million cannabis smuggling ring. 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. He then worked for legendary Soho crime boss Billy Hill in the 1950s, earning the nickname razor Fraser for his attacks on those who crossed him, before becoming embroiled in protection rackets in the 1960s, rising to the position of the Boss of Soho. Although he was acquitted, a further five years were added to his sentence. 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. Physically slight at only 5ft 4in, and invariably wearing a smile and in retirement a sharp Savile Row suit, Frankie Fraser was nevertheless a ferocious and brutal hatchet man. His last jail term ended in 1989, but in 2011 he was handed an Asbo after getting into an argument with a fellow pensioner at the sheltered accommodation where he lived in Bermondsey. ", A deserter during the war he pretended to be mad to avoid the call-up Fraser was certified insane three times and spent time in Broadmoor secure hospital. contact the editor here. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. 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. And I felt the same way,' she said. Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. 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. [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. Fraser earned his mad nickname during the second world war, when he managed to get himself out of military service by pretending to be mentally ill. To prove his unsuitability to the force, he assaulted a doctor before jumping out of the window at the Bradford assessment centre where he had been sent. 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. On 26 November, Fraser died after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s. News reports were checked to see how much was owing. Eva (Fraser) Brindle. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. The judge, Mr Justice Griffith-Jones, complained of attempts to nobble one of the jurors, but in the case of Fraser, who was tried separately, he directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex. Fraser in 1997 with his then girlfriend Marilyn Wisbey, daughter Of Great Train Robber Tom Wisbey (REX FEATURES). Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. Fraser owed his success in the fruit machine business to Billy Hill, whose patronage Fraser courted when he attacked and almost killed Hills gangland rival Jack "Spot" Comer. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. 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. From the time of Frankie Fraser's sister Eva and the gang of hoisters The Forty Thieves, comes a book which will have you gripped this summer. 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. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, 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 Ms 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. 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 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. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. The grim terraces of Waterloo and the tenements of Elephant and Castle provided plenty of girls desperate enough to join The Forty Thieves. 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. During World War 2 he was a deserter - escaping from his barracks on several occasions. 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. An early nickname Razor Fraser reflected his penchant for shivving his enemies faces with a cut-throat blade. 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. Frank Davidson Fraser[1] (13 December 1923 26 November 2014),[2] better known as "Mad" Frankie Fraser, was an English gangster who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences. Petite shoplifter Bertha Tappenden 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. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. In 1969 Fraser led the Parkhurst prison riot on the Isle of Wight and found himself back in court charged with incitement to murder. Ancestors . It was during this sentence that he was first certified insane and was sent to Cane Hill Hospital before being released in 1949. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . He also ran a coach tour pointing out to a spectrum of customers the old criminal London. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Jack 'Spot' Comer showing the scar on his face left by Frankie Fraser and Alf Warren (GETTY), By 1956, Fraser had racked up 15 convictions and had twice been certified insane. Alice herself was famous for clouting three furs in one go: one down each leg and one under her gusset. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. Diamond took her under her wing and showed her how to shoplift in 1947, when Pitts was just 12. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any updates until your subscription is confirmed. His mother was of Norwegian-Irish stock and his father was half Native American. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. He emerged from jail in 1989 and has not been back since. Fraser was released in 1988 and almost immediately served a two-year sentence for receiving. Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. But little by little, over weeks and months of interviews, cups of tea and chats, their life stories emerged and with that came a fascinating insight into the Fraser family history and what really made Frank tick. Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. Whatever you nicked you could sell, they'd be queuing up to buy it off you.". 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. 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She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Over the last decade or so he was on the cabaret circuit and ran gangland tours of the East End, taking in such sights as the Blind Beggar pub, where Ronnie Kray shot dead George Cornell, one of the Richardson gang, in 1966. He then became involved in serious crime - and the war provided a perfect backdrop with the blackout, rationing and a shortage of police officers. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for theGreat Train Robberyby bribing a policeman. 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. 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. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. Facebook gives people the power. The violent thugs, the Kray twins, held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard during the 1940s and 1950s. 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. 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.. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. '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. Furs were rolled on the hanger and tucked into the women's undergarments when the store assistant was distracted, while jewellery and watches were swapped for fake versions and hidden under hats or in their hair. The memoir KEEPING MY SISTER'S SECRETS, (Pan Macmillan 2017) tells the moving story of three sisters born into poverty in 1930s London and their fight for a survival through a decade of social upheaval. Both Fraser and his sister, Eva, were also active juvenile thieves. There was also kind of respect for them locally because people could get a nice dress or a pair of stockings cheaply. 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. 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. 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. 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. By the 1950s, the gang were facing ever-present store detectives and had to rely more on disguises. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. 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. He was a rock.. 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. 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. 42 years a lag She had died in. After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. He was moved from prison to prison more than 100 times because he was virtually impossible to control.

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