Mad' Frankie Fraser and London's Most Notorious Gangsters The singer, 29, bared his chest and showed off his . 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'. 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. [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. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. [13], It was in the early 1960s that Fraser first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang, rivals to the Kray twins. [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. There were further language difficulties. 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. 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'. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. 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. [9] [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. contact the editor here. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. 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. He then became involved in serious crime - and the war provided a perfect backdrop with the blackout, rationing and a shortage of police officers. They would go through Selfridges department store in the West End and steal furs and expensive clothes. The Frasers were both contemporaries of the Hatton Garden heist gang members many of whom also came from south London and who operated on the same bank robbing scene and shared jail cells with the Fraser boys at some point. The most famous 'queen', Alice Diamond (left), was the daughter of a docker and renowned for her row of diamond rings that doubled as a knuckle duster. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. 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. 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. Facebook gives people the power. 'The other side of the story involves these feisty women and it is perhaps more fascinating given the limited powers such working class girls had to earn a decent wage.'. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. The raids seem often to have been left to chance, and he was particularly unfortunate with cars. 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. 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. Ancestors . Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road inWaterloo,London on December 13, 1923. Diamond took her under her wing and showed her how to shoplift in 1947, when Pitts was just 12. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them. Frankie Fraser Biography | HowOld.co The violent thugs, the Kray twins, held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard during the 1940s and 1950s. Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. Fraser received seven years. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. However, according to a new documentary, he is clearly not going gentle into any good night. 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.. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Fraser treated his various brushes with death as an occupational hazard: his thigh bone was shattered by a bullet fired during the melee in Catford, and part of his mouth was shot away in an incident in May 1991 when someone botched an attempt to assassinate him outside a nightclub in Farringdon. Beezy a former Sunday Times journalist whose biography Mad Frank & Sons was published last year was given unprecedented access to interview the family and learn about the three bold women, who grew up in Howley Terrace, in Waterloo during the 1930s. Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. Please report any comments that break our rules. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. They didnt go to jail, they did bird or got a lagging. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London on December 13, 1923. Alice herself was famous for clouting three furs in one go: one down each leg and one under her gusset. Many of the Forty Thieves were noted for their beauty as well as their shoplifting skills, such as Madeline Partridge and her sister Laura (pictured left), whose mother was often used by Diamond to sell stolen goods. 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. 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 trial which became one of the longest in British criminal history. In 1941, Fraser was given his first taste of punishment when he was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store. We'll never send you spam or share your email address. 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. She helped him sell on his loot. By Emer Scully and Beezy Marsh for MailOnline, Published: 10:41 GMT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 13:07 GMT, 4 November 2021. The grim terraces of Waterloo and the tenements of Elephant and Castle provided plenty of girls desperate enough to join The Forty Thieves. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Here are some pictures of Eva Fraser of the Forty Thieves and her sister Kathleen. The reader is also introduced to the girls brother Jim, who became a sergeant in the army and fought in North Africa. Although he was acquitted, a further five years were added to his sentence. Fraser was placed into an induced coma, but just five days later, on November 26, 2014, Fraser passed away after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. [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. People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. After the war, he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill, for whom he carried out razor attacks. Even decent folk were often only too happy to 'take a bit of crooked' to have something new. Had it all gone to plan, she could have inhabited a very different side of the West End to her little sister Eva. [11] In 1942, while serving a prison sentence in HM Prison Chelmsford, he came to the attention of the British Army. Harry Styles bares his impressively toned torso and body art at gig HP10 9TY. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Aged 17 she was convicted for stealing from a hat shop in Oxford Street. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Author returns with book about the fascinating lives of notorious 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. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. He was moved from prison to prison more than 100 times because he was virtually impossible to control. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. 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. The criminal, who has spent almost half his life in prison, passed away earlier at King's. Fraser, tried separately, was jailed for 10. 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. 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. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. But she was once caught stealing stockings and was sent to prison.. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. 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. Keeping My Sisters Secrets was published on July 27 by Pan Macmillan. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. 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. Frankie Fraser - obituary - The Telegraph She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. Sometimes the hoisters' lives became entangled with those of underworld bosses through affairs, family ties or marriage. Frank's mother, Margaret, was a huge influence on him but his "best pal" and early partner in crime was his sister, Eva. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the.