Underneath glamorous ensembles the women wore specially-adapted petticoats with hidden pockets or baggy bloomers with elastic at the knee. 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. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. Mad Frank: Memoirs of a Life of Crime appeared in 1994, with two further volumes following in 1998 and 2001. There was also kind of respect for them locally because people could get a nice dress or a pair of stockings cheaply. In 1966, Fraser was charged with the murder of Richard Hart - who was shot at Mr Smith's club inCatfordwhile other Richardson associates, includingJimmy Moody, were charged withaffray. When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. During World War 2 he was a deserter - escaping from his barracks on several occasions. Fraser considered that Lawton had meted out cruel and vindictive punishment to him at Pentonville in 1948, and to avenge himself Fraser assumed the role of hangman. 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. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. Frankie Fraser's Last Stand: Directed by Matt Blyth. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. in development with Fraser's endorsement. They bought fur coats, jewellery and went dancing in West End nightclubs. Frankie Fraser: Died On This Day in 2014, Aged 90 - The NCS 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. 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. 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. 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. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. 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. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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". 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. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. On 26 November, Fraser died after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. 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. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves. Fraser had no problem dealing with rival operators whose business was dented as a result. Aged 17 she was convicted for stealing from a hat shop in Oxford Street. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. During the 1950s, Fraser's main criminal occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangsterBilly Hill. It will only make me a worse villain!'. 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. Sometimes the hoisters' lives became entangled with those of underworld bosses through affairs, family ties or marriage. Both Fraser and his sister, Eva, were also active juvenile thieves. During his time behind bars he was involved in violence and was a major instigator in the Parkhurst Prison riots in 1969. MAD FRANK and SONS - Home - Facebook Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. The comments below have not been moderated. 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. However, it was the during the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, that Frankie Fraser become notorious nationally. She also passed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. The pair were the only ones of the children to embrace a life of crime. The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. 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 claimed to have no regrets about his criminal life, apart from being caught. He emerged from jail in 1989 and has not been back since. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Photos of Frankie "Mad" Fraser - Find a Grave Memorial She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. 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. And I felt the same way,' she said. Editors' Code of Practice. 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. 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. He shot, slashed, stabbed and axed. 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!' None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. As a solicitor, I defended him in the trial following the Parkhurst riot and as a result wrote a number of books with him. Frasers partner in this endeavour was Bobby Warren, an uncle of the boxing promoter Frank Warren. 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. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. Mad Frank. Born to criminal parents in Southwark, South London, in 1886, her first crimes were aiding and abetting men. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. 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. She and her friends looked like film stars when they went out down the pub. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. [9] 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'. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please There were further language difficulties. If you weren't actually stealing, you were outranked by The Forty Thieves. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. Frankie Fraser, born December 13 1923, died November 26 2014, Frankie Fraser at Repton Boxing Club in 2005, Rishi Sunak to host Coronation Big Lunch at Downing Street, Erik ten Hag: Man Utd were a mess with no rules Casemiro has helped sort them out, How Ollie Lawrence became England's missing piece, Harlequins set attendance record but rampant Exeter spoil Twickenham party, Marcus Smith sends England message to Steve Borthwick with man-of-the-match performance, Super-sub Reiss Nelson completes thrilling Arsenal fightback. 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. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s. Eva (Fraser) Brindle (1920s-2000s) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree His funeral took place on December 18, 2014. It was just what we knew and to be honest, we loved it.. He also attacked various governors. 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. He was said to have pulled out the teeth of one of the victims with a pair of pliers. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. But who were the gang's most brazen members? Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. [22], Fraser gave gangland tours around London, where he highlighted infamous criminal locations such as The Blind Beggar pub. 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. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser handed an asbo aged 90 - the Guardian Police reveal more details, as man remains at large after brutal attack outside school, Interview with MP Neil Coyle after Commons suspension: Why the drinking has stopped having started in childhood, but the swearing wont, plus deliberately avoiding Labour leader Keir Starmer, Read our print products (Digital Editions). Hughes was famed for her red hair, a love of drink and a violent temper. 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. 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. Once again, he was sent toprison, this timefor taking part in bank robberies. Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime, with the blackout and rationing, combined with the lack of professional policemen due to conscription, providing ample opportunities for criminal activities such as stealing from houses while the occupants were in air-raid shelters. He was a member of the Richardson gang or the 'torture gang', led by brothers Charlie and Eddie Richardson, and were widely feared in Londons underworld. This is Eva Fraser, sister of gangster " Mad" Frankie who was one of the leading lights in The Forty Thieves. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Ancestors . MAD FRANK & SONS, by David Fraser, Patrick Fraser and Beezy Marsh is published by Sidgwick and Jackson on June 2. According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for theGreat Train Robberyby bribing a policeman. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 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. Mad Frank (1994), which went on to sell around 100,000 copies, was the first in a successful series. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. 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. Tallymen, who sold goods door-to-door, would shift them across London. 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. He had been shot in the face. Fraser was acquitted but received five years for affray. 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. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Join Facebook to connect with Frankie Fraser and others you may know. Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. New biography of notorious Frankie Fraser promises to reveal the late He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. The two Richardson brothers were convicted, and the elder, Charles, sentenced to 25 years. Photo taken in the late 1940s on a pub Beano (day out) in Walworth, before the group travelled to Margate On the back row: the girls mum, Margaret, next to daughter Kathleen. Fraser was released in 1988 and almost immediately served a two-year sentence for receiving. On this release, he determined to write his memoirs. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. Notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser died in hospital today aged 90, relatives have revealed. The women were completely faithful to their leader, known as the queen, who doled out harsh punishments and carried strict rules including not helping police officers by informing. 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. Pictured: The female cast of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.