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. Tue 11 Jun 2013 11.55 EDT He may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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 youngest of five children, he grew up in poverty in the Elephant and Castle and Borough, areas teeming with moneylenders, prostitutes and backstreet abortionists. 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. A Hoisters' Code of loyalty dictated rules such as having an early night before 'going shopping', handing over all they pinched to the Queen in return for generous weekly wages, and never stealing each other's boyfriends (bad for morale). To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. He was said to have pulled out the teeth of one of the victims with a pair of pliers. 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. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Had her first criminal conviction aged 14 and went on to become Diamond's accomplice. of James Fraser and Margaret Alice (Anderson) Fraser. The thieves' earnings allowed them to live like upper-class debutantes. 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. To evade discovery they posted the stolen items back to London or depositing a suitcase of loot at the railway station's left luggage office, to be collected later. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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). 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any updates until your subscription is confirmed. 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. Sister of Frankie Davidson Fraser. 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. Fraser was just 13 when he was sent to an approved school for stealing 40 cigarettes. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. Even decent folk were often only too happy to 'take a bit of crooked' to have something new. But his criminal activities didn't stop when he was locked up. During the 1950s, Fraser's main criminal occupation was as bodyguard to well-known gangsterBilly Hill. On the morning of Derek Bentleys execution at Wandsworth in 1953, he spat at the executioner Albert Pierrepoint and tried to attack him. Bought stolen goods and sold them on in a role known as 'the fence'. ", 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. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. 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. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. The raids seem often to have been left to chance, and he was particularly unfortunate with cars. According to Eddie Richardson, Fraser had Alzheimer's disease for the last three years of his life. 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. 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. 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. 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. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. This is Eva Fraser, sister of gangster " Mad" Frankie who was one of the leading lights in The Forty Thieves. Harts killing was avenged within 24 hours when Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell, the Richardsons chief lieutenant, at the Blind Beggar pub deep in Kray territory on the Mile End Road, using a 9mm Mauser semi-automatic pistol at point-blank range. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road inWaterloo,London on December 13, 1923. 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. 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. [5][6][7][8] His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. 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. [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. 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. 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 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. On 21 November 2014, Fraser fell critically ill whilst undergoing leg surgery atKing's College Hospital,Denmark Hill. They bought fur coats, jewellery and went dancing in West End nightclubs. 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. She was sentenced to five months. Frankie Fraser was known anotorious torturer and hitman, who worked as an enforcer for some of London's most feared gang leaders. Fraser received seven years. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. As people facedblackouts, rationing and a lack of professional policing due toconscription, Fraser had ample opportunities for criminal activities, such as stealing from houses while the occupants were hiding for safety in air-raid shelters. At the same time Fraser was concerned to protect his West End business interests, chiefly the installation and operation (on an exclusive basis) in the clubs of Soho of one-armed bandits, or fruit machines, then growing in popularity. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. Queen of Thieves, by author and journalist Beezy Marsh (published by Orion, November 4 2021, 8.99). In 1991, while emerging from Turnmills nightclub in Clerkenwell, London, he was shot at by an unidentified gunman. She also passed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. 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. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. The pair were the only ones of the children to embrace a life of crime. His parents never knew about his illegal activities, and if they ever suspected him apparently turned a blind eye, a habit . Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. He was a rock.. Involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. He was still touring clubs and pubs in 2011. 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. 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.. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. So it was in January 1965, when a club owner called Benny Coulston was hauled before Richardson for swindling him out of 600 over a consignment of cigarettes. He then became involved in serious crime - and the war provided a perfect backdrop with the blackout, rationing and a shortage of police officers. 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. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years for their acts of violence. 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 may be in his 90th year but "Mad" Frankie Fraser is still causing mayhem. View the profiles of people named Frankie Fraser. Frankie Fraser was a south London gangster who knew no language but violence and spent half his life behind bars. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Mad Frank: Memoirs of a Life of Crime appeared in 1994, with two further volumes following in 1998 and 2001. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Frankie Fraser's Last Stand: Directed by Matt Blyth. Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. Before then, Fraser had been involved in smash-and-grab raids and wages snatches. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. Mason was found, barely alive, wearing only his underpants and wrapped in a blanket, on the steps of the London Hospital in Whitechapel. 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. After trying his hand at crime as a child, Fraser then continued into his later life. 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. contact the editor here. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. Editors' Code of Practice. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. 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. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. 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. From then on until the end of the 1980s, Fraser was more often in jail than not. 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. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. 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. He spent 42 years almost half his life in prison for 26 offences. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . 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'. The Old Bailey jury heard, in grisly detail that still resonates 50 years on, how Frankie Fraser tried to pull Coulstons teeth out one by one with a pair of pliers. Swathed in luxurious fur coats, wearing diamond rings as a knuckledusters and hats to hide their stolen wares, Britain's most notorious all-female gang ruledthe tenements of Waterloo and Elephant and Castle and earned the respect of Soho's most feared underworld bosses. After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. 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. She was chauffeured in a Bentley and always wore a sable coat. 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. Fraser died at the age of 91 on November 26, 2014. Once again, he was sent toprison, this timefor taking part in bank robberies. Jewellery was a favourite target, as it was easy to hide up a sleeve - rings could be switched for worthless fakes. 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. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. Prisoners and ex-prisoners all over Britain speak about him with undisguised admiration. "You name it, we nicked it," he says. Following a trial at theOld Baileyin 1967, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. 'It gave them a life they could never have afforded. [22], Fraser gave gangland tours around London, where he highlighted infamous criminal locations such as The Blind Beggar pub. It was a thief's paradise, Gor blimey! 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. 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. A witness later changed histestimony,and the charges were eventually dropped, though Fraser still received a five-year sentence for affray. It was just what we knew and to be honest, we loved it.. His greatest moment of national notoriety came during what was known as the 'torture trial' of the Richardson gang in 1967, which became . 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. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. 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. 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. It will only make me a worse villain!'. They stole to put food on the table. Mad Frank (1994), which went on to sell around 100,000 copies, was the first in a successful series. Fraser himself was charged with pulling out people's teeth with pliers and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the second part, she reveals how Frank wasnt the only member of his family with a chequered past. 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. But by the 1930s, the breeding ground for its recruits was South London. 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. Fraser himself was accused of pulling out the teeth of victims with a pair of pliers. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? ', 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'. 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. 'They didn't see anything wrong in it because these things were too expensive for most people to afford and shops had insurance. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. 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. 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. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. 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. Photograph: Crime and Investigation network. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. Descendants . 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'. 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 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. With Frankie Fraser, Chris Keenan, Steve Box, Michael Boyd. A famous Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale, has often been associated with Fraser and the Kray twins and some aspects of the new documentary may add to this impression. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. Her wartime experience was spent on the switchboards during the Blitz. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime. Not long after being released, Hughes was involved in the Lambeth riot of Christmas 1925, when the home of Bill Britten was stormed. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. What officers didn't know then was that his crime spree would continue over a career spanning seven decades, and his offences only worsened. As a solicitor, I defended him in the trial following the Parkhurst riot and as a result wrote a number of books with him. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a hoister because they could outearn us men two to one,' he said. It sounds like the worst days of Prohibition in Chicago rather than London in 1956, complained Mr Justice Donovan, but words were wasted on Fraser. Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. [14] According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for the Great Train Robbery by bribing a policeman. Notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser died in hospital today aged 90, relatives have revealed. Both Fraser and his sister, Eva, were also active juvenile 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. 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. 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. "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. 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. Frankie Frasers wife Doreen, with whom he had four sons, died in 1999. Following the Frankie Fraser story is akin to re-tracing the history of gangland London throughout the 20th Century. These recollections, while often disordered and jumbled, nevertheless shed light on Frasers shameless and unrepentant defiance of the liberal consensus. 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