At the age of five, Fraser, running in the road to beg for cigarette cards, was knocked down, and from his injuries he developed meningitis. 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. [4] He was involved in riots and frequently fought with prison officers and fellow inmates. Francis Davidson Fraser was born on December 13 1923 in Cornwall Road, a slum area of south London on the site of what is now the Royal Festival Hall. Frankie Fraser was tried at the Old Bailey for Harts murder, while six others, including Eddie Richardson, faced lesser charges. She was one of the top thieves during the war. 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. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. 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. 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. On the morning of Derek Bentleys execution at Wandsworth in 1953, he spat at the executioner Albert Pierrepoint and tried to attack him. [22], Fraser gave gangland tours around London, where he highlighted infamous criminal locations such as The Blind Beggar pub. 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'. On 26 November, Fraser died after his family made the decision to turn off his life-support machine. 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. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. Mother of [private daughter (1940s - unknown)] Died 2000s. A Gannett Company. 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. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. 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. 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. It wasnt that we chose to be thieves, said Patrick. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 42 years a lag She had died in. Part of his mouth was shot away in the incident. Notorious for high-speed getaways, she was eventually caught stealing lingerie and sentenced to hard labour in prison. Somehow Eva found herself in the opposite company of her eldest sister Peggy, whose boyfriend was heavily involved in the Communist Party, whom the Blackshirts fought in the famous Battle of Bermondsey, and the even more famous Battle of Cable Street. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. Updated November 28, 2014 2.43pmfirst published at 2.41pm Save Share Although he was acquitted, a further five years were added to his sentence. 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. 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. They enjoyed buying nice things with the money and putting on the posh. The business came to an end in 1966 when a fight in a Catford night club, Mr Smiths, left a Kray associate, Dickie Hart, dead, and Richardson and Fraser, who was charged with Harts murder, in prison. 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. Fraser also appeared as East End crime boss Pops Den in the feature film Hard Men, a forerunner of British gangster movies such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and had a documentary made of his life, Mad Frank. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Frank stole because he loved to have money yet when he had it, he gave it all away. "As I was growing up, I never had to buy a shirt Eva made sure she nicked them for me. 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. 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!' 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. After trying his hand at crime as a child, Fraser then continued into his later life. The notorious English gangster turned to a life of a crime and before he knew it, he was behind bars. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. His mother was of Irish and Norwegian descent, while his father was half Native-American. As her reign came to an end, Forty Thieves queen Diamondpassed on her 'wisdom' to a future queen, Shirley Pitts. 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. 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. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser was a notorious English gangster, Funeral of South London enforcer, FRANKIE FRASER at Honour Oak Crematorium, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). His parents never knew about his illegal activities, and if they ever suspected him apparently turned a blind eye, a habit . Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. The pair were the only ones of the children to embrace a life of crime. 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. She liked to earn her own money and paid her own way quite something for a young woman in the 1930s and 1940s. 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. 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. It was a thief's paradise, Gor blimey! Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. "If you play by the sword, you've got to expect the sword as well," says his son. 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. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. in development with Fraser's endorsement. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. In 1996 he was cast as the gangleader Pops Den in the film Hard Men, which premiered at the London film festival. [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. Another grandson, Anthony Fraser, was being sought by police in February 2011 for his alleged involvement in an alleged 5 million cannabis smuggling ring. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. Mothers would hide hoisted clothes in their prams and move them to pubs, where they were sold on. His wife, Doreen, whom he married in 1965, and who with Eva loyally toured the prisons to visit him, died in 1999. [9], Fraser was an Arsenal fan, and his grandson Tommy Fraser is a professional footballer. He was a rock.. [24], Fraser's wife, by whom he had four sons, died in 1999. This resulted in Fraser returning to prison once again - this time to serve a seven-year sentence. Once he said he would do something, he did it, and he despised others who backed down. 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. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Its clear she still had to feed her family by acting on the wrong side of the law Beezy said. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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. On his release, Fraser joined Richardsons brother Eddie in a company called Atlantic Machines, installing fruit machines at some of Sohos most profitable sites, with Sir Noel Dryden recruited as the respectable frontman. '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.'. 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. 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. Eva knew the Krays well and they treated her with reverence, although she saw them as little more than naughty boys. A constant troublemaker in prison, attacking governors and warders over perceived injustices which inevitably resulted in floggings, bread and water and the loss of remission, Fraser had by this time been certified insane on three occasions. 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. Please report any comments that break our rules. By Emer Scully and Beezy Marsh for MailOnline, Published: 10:41 GMT, 4 November 2021 | Updated: 13:07 GMT, 4 November 2021. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. What Fraser invariably threatened was violence. After trying his hand at crime as a. 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. 'I felt it was time for their story to be told and it inspired my novel, which is the first in a planned trilogy for Orion about the gang, stretching from the 1920s to the 1950s.'. 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. 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. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. But the victory was pyrrhic in many senses, because by the time he finally left prison the in mid 1980s, the world had changed and gangland had moved on. 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. Another of Fraser's grandsons, James Fraser, also spent a short time with Bristol Rovers. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. He refused to discuss the shooting with the police. 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. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. I don't think they felt bad about it. Frankie Fraser was born on Cornwall Road in Waterloo, London. During his time in prison, Fraser was involved in a number of riots and frequently fought with prison officers, fellow inmates and governors. 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. They set up a fruit machine enterprise, which they would sell to pub landlords, to cover up their crimes. Indeed, his criminality was closely bound up with what one criminologist described as an overt almost Samurai vindication of violent action in pursuit of inverted honour. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. Comments have been closed on this article. 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. 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. While serving this sentence, Fraser received 10 years for his part in the so-called Richardson torture trial. 'My gran liked to go for tea at the Ritz, especially if she could pinch someone's fur coat from the cloakroom on the way out. At the age of five, he moved with his family to a flat on Walworth Road, Elephant and Castle. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. After another, the car ran out of petrol in the Rotherhithe tunnel. He undoubtedly had a wicked temper and a lack of empathy as seen in his capability for violence but he described that to me in terms of a soldier doing his job. 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. When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. 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. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. It has emerged that the former gangland enforcer, who has spent 42 years in prison for 26. 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. Eric wasnt a bad fellow, Fraser later explained, but that particular night he was bang out of order.. Getting them to relive their exploits had its own difficulties at the start the only time they had ever been interviewed was by the police and they were used to keeping their own counsel. 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. Fraser spent a lot of time in solitary confinement, tormented by prison officers who would spit in his food. 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. Fraser was jailed along with other members of the Richardson gang for violently punishing people whom the Richardsons believed owed them money. 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. Fraser was just 13 when he was sent to an approved school for stealing 40 cigarettes. '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. 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. 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. 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. Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. 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. 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. ", 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. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. 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. [25] In June 2013, the 89-year-old Fraser was served with an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) by police after a row with another resident. Even decent folk were often only too happy to 'take a bit of crooked' to have something new. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. Questioned by police, Fraser reportedly gave his name as Tutankhamen (gangland slang for shtum) and asked What incident?. In the 1950s he worked for underworld boss Billy Hill and carried out razor attacks on victims for 50 each. It was during the war that he first became involved in serious crime. He emerged from jail in 1989 and has not been back since. 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. Keeping My Sisters Secrets was published on July 27 by Pan Macmillan. 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. [9] He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks on several occasions. 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. 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. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Do not sell or share my personal information. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. 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. Following the Frankie Fraser story is akin to re-tracing the history of gangland London throughout the 20th Century. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. He was frequently punished for breaking prison rules or fighting prison officers: "I've done more bread and water than any man alive. His new career took off and he was in regular demand as a radio and television pundit. [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. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. Ms Marsh said it 'was time to reappraise London's gangland' when she wrote The Queen of Thieves. [11] In 1942, while serving a prison sentence in HM Prison Chelmsford, he came to the attention of the British Army. After one snatch, he and his companion were arrested when their car would not start. She was taught by Alice Diamond in the 1930s and a very senior member throughout the. Two people were left dead. David had perfected the prison whisper talking very quietly, in case he was overheard by the guards. Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall - despite police records from 1919 putting her at 5ft9in. Fraser, who was jailed for 10 years in the so-called "torture trial" in 1967, is now frail and in poor health. 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. 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. They bought fur coats, jewellery and went dancing in West End nightclubs. 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. 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 shot, slashed, stabbed and axed. [10], In 1941, Fraser was sent to borstal for breaking into a Waterloo hosiery store, then given a 15-month prison sentence at HM Prison Wandsworth for shop-breaking. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. He was a known associate of gangster Billy Hill throughout the 1950s. She got six months in jail, for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. AS is the case with so many crime families, the key to understanding the men came through getting to know the women who cared for them. 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 Fraser and his sister, Eva, were also active juvenile thieves. Afraid of being heavily medicated for bad behaviour, Fraser stayed out of trouble and was released in 1955. It will only make me a worse villain!'. [23] In 1991, Fraser was shot in the head from close range in an apparent murder attempt outside the Turnmills Club in Clerkenwell, London. He also attacked various governors. 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! After being sent to HM Prison Durham for taking part in bank robberies, he was again certified insane and this time was sent to Broadmoor Hospital. 'Any girl worth her salt in South London in those days was a. 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. She was sentenced to five months. The raids seem often to have been left to chance, and he was particularly unfortunate with cars. She was still hoisting well into her 70s.'. 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. It was just what we knew and to be honest, we loved it.. Fraser himself was charged with pulling out people's teeth with pliers and sentenced to 10 years in prison. [6] Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. 'MAD' Frankie Fraser, was one of the most feared and respected West End crime lords of the 1960s. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. One such member was Lilian Goldstein, who was known as the Bob-Haired Bandit. When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. When police visited she showed them ledgers to demonstrate her honest buying. 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'. 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. 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. At signing sessions of his books he was always willing to be photographed pretending to extract a tooth with pliers brought by the fan. However, it was in the early 1960s that Fraser began to take on even bigger crimes, when he first met Charlie and Eddie Richardson of the Richardson Gang - rivals to the Kray twins. Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames.
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