Photos of Frankie "Mad" Fraser - Find a Grave Memorial 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.
MAD FRANK and SONS - Home - Facebook When Mason demurred, Fraser buried a hatchet in his skull, pinning his hand to his head. After trying his hand at crime as a. You understand the choices that lay ahead of you if you were a working-class girl. Eva got into shoplifting, but had a heart of gold. ", Of the war years, when he was heavily involved in theft from bombed-out stores, he says: "You wanted to win the war but you wanted it to go on for ever. Then theres Frankie himself, who makes a brief appearance. Ms Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. They stole to put food on the table. 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. 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. His fourth son, Francis, in Frasers joking words, let me down by having no criminal career at all. Fraser was seen kicking Richard Hart, a Kray associate, as he lay on the pavement outside. Her brother was the notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, who joined turf wars between London gangs in the sixties. Fraser served a total of 42 years in over 20 different prisons in the UK for numerous violent offences. Her story has been told in The Queen of Thieves, written by author Beezy Marsh, which sheds a light on the lives of the girl gang that gained the respect of male criminals because of their lucrative and violent methods. None of the gang were afraid to use razors on those who crossed them. Despite this, or possibly because of it, newspapers of the day were tipping him as Spots natural successor. Police name woman found dead on Rotherhithe estate and charge her husband with murder, Camberwell man charged with attempted murder after an attack on a bus in Oxford Street, Kingsdale plans to expand pupil admissions despite fears it will draw students away from other secondary schools, TV actress Ruth Wilson to star in 24-hour play opposite a 100 men at the Young Vic, Damp, mould and biting bugs: Denmark Hill-based mum concerned for her babies, Closing schools will not be sold off as flats, council pledges, Man charged with murder of Shaun McEvoy in Kennington, Honor Oak man convicted of manslaughter after row broke out when victim mistook the killers car for an Uber, Police appeal after lone woman repeatedly stamped on in shocking Borough robbery for her handbag, View digital editions of our print products, Secrets of Elephant and Castles notorious all-women gang revealed in new book, New biography of notorious Frankie Fraser promises to reveal the late career criminals family life, Campaigners keep up calls to reopen Camberwell Station with massive cake, Rotherhithes most unusual property just sold at auction for 1.5 million to a local buyer, Exclusive: Rotherhithe business owner just days away from being evicted after over 20 years of serving the community, Teenager in critical condition after stabbing by Old Kent Road McDonalds, Murder inquiry launched after woman found dead and injured man arrested on suspicion of killing her, Walworths secret Victorian bollard dubbed the silent sentinel, Exclusive: Was it a hammer attack? Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex. 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.
Who was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser? | The Sun 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. 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. 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. She was chauffeured in a Bentley and always wore a sable coat. It was during this sentence that he was first certified insane and was sent to Cane Hill Hospital before being released in 1949. "From there he goes on to burgle, and she goes onto shop lifting with a famous female gang called The 40 Thieves. She was sentenced to five months. And I felt the same way,' she said. But she was once caught stealing stockings and was sent to prison.. When caught by police she replied: 'I don't know anything about it.'. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. Joining the Forty Thieves was something of a right of passage for Eva Fraser. Both Frank and his sister, Eva, whom he adored, inherited their fathers features and his jet-black hair. ", 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's Last Stand: Directed by Matt Blyth. Young Frankie attended local schools, captained the football team, and acted as bookies runner to one of the teachers. His first conviction was for stealing cigarettes, and with the second he was sent to an approved school. Both Fraser and his sister, Eva, were also active juvenile thieves. Each incident added more time to his sentence. There were further language difficulties. 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. She was one of the top thieves during the war. Bought stolen goods and sold them on in a role known as 'the fence'. The middle sister was Kathleen, who constantly aspired to make it as an actress, and make use of her striking good looks. People shook his hand in the street, others kissed him or asked for his autograph and taxi drivers honked their horns. Tallymen, who sold goods door-to-door, would shift them across London. Please report any comments that break our rules. Eva got six months for stealing stockings from Bentalls in Kingston upon Thames. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Mad Frank. Author Beezy Marsh said: 'These women fought harder than the men and were feared by men and women in their communities. Born on Cornwall Road, Waterloo, Lambeth, South London, Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. Born near Waterloo station, central London, he was the fifth child of a poor family. Monty Python sketch featuring the Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale. Underneath glamorous ensembles the women wore specially-adapted petticoats with hidden pockets or baggy bloomers with elastic at the knee. His mother was of Norwegian-Irish stock and his father was half Native American. Such were the criminal opportunities during the war, Fraser joked in a television interview years later, that he had never forgiven the Germans for surrendering. In 1945, when he was 21, he assaulted the governor at Shrewsbury prison with an ebony ruler snatched from the governors desk, for which he received 18 strokes of the cat. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. 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. She lived an unashamedly lavish lifestyle and splashed her money around. 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. 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. Beezy said: "Frank's sister Eva was the one who led him into crime as a small boy. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Descendants . 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. Frankie Fraser was tried at the Old Bailey for Harts murder, while six others, including Eddie Richardson, faced lesser charges. The Kray twins (pictured) held The Forty Thieves member Eva Fraser in high regard. During his time behind bars he was involved in violence and was a major instigator in the Parkhurst Prison riots in 1969. Eva was a chip off the old block and as well as being Franks first partner in crime, stealing sweets from the corner shop, she had a lucrative career in a daring gang of girl shoplifters, The Forty Thieves, which traced its roots back to Victorian London and cleared many a West End store for furs and luxury goods. 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. 'Mad' Frankie Fraser: Sweet dapper. 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. 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 later joined the notorious Richardson gang, formed by brothers Eddie and Charlie, and began carrying out more criminal activities. 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. It will only make me a worse villain! She helped him sell on his loot. The two Richardson brothers were convicted, and the elder, Charles, sentenced to 25 years. After the war he was involved in a smash-and-grab raid on a jeweller's and was given a two year prison sentence. Together they set up the Atlantic Machines fruit-machine enterprise, which acted as a front for the criminal activities of the gang. 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. He was a deserter during the Second World War, escaping from his barracks . 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. After three years in jail she tookpart in the Lambeth riot at Christmas 1925. We'll never send you spam or share your email address. One such member was Lilian Goldstein, who was known as the Bob-Haired Bandit.
Harry Styles bares his impressively toned torso and body art at gig Many started as child lookouts. Diamond took her under her wing and showed her how to shoplift in 1947, when Pitts was just 12. Fraser was part of Britain's Underworld between the 1940s-1960's. He was a known associate of gangster Billy Hill throughout the 1950s. Tony Lambrianou, a one-time henchman of the rival Kray brothers, was also a fan. Women carried tools needed for burglaries so the police had no evidence if they stopped the men following the crime. According to Fraser, it was they who helped him avoid arrest for theGreat Train Robberyby bribing a policeman. He then became involved in serious crime - and the war provided a perfect backdrop with the blackout, rationing and a shortage of police officers. A mugshot of Forty Thieves' Hughes, who was uncontrollable and dissipated by drink. [9] He was a resident at a sheltered accommodation home in Peckham. Fraser was defended by a young solicitor called James Morton, who later became an author and wrote a history of Londons gangland in 1992. Eva Brindle formerly Fraser. 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.
New biography of notorious Frankie Fraser promises to reveal the late 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. '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. Former Northern Echo journalist Beezy Marsh has written a book about London gangster Mad Frankie Fraser. Nothing ever got to Frankie, wrote Charlie Richardson. Aged seven, Ms Pitts was stealing milk and bread to provide food for her five siblings. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription you will not receive any newsletters until your subscription is confirmed. in development with Fraser's endorsement. He stopped following a warning from the Kray Twins. 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.
Fraser, who was jailed for 10 years in the so-called "torture trial" in 1967, is now frail and in poor health. Various members were eventually caught, though and served their time in Holloway prison, where rations were meagre and they slept on boards. Harry Styles put on an animated display as he took to the stage for a second night at the Accor Stadium in Sydney's Olympic Park on Saturday.. ', The notorious gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser's sister Eva had risen through the ranks of the gang after joining in the 1930s. 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. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. Those who had incurred Richardsons displeasure were wired up to a sinister black box with a wind-up handle that administered severe electric shocks to the genitals. He really did live by a code of honour which he took with him to the grave. Frankie Fraser was a notorious torturer and hitman for the Richardson gang of south London criminals in the 1960s. She is thought to have killed herself in the 1970s. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. His decision to join the Richardsons rather than their rivals, the Krays, has been described as "like China getting the atom bomb". He spent more than 40 years in prison. The gang's ringleaders appeared in a secret register of criminals, that is now kept by the National Archives, which then existed to help police track down the most persistent offenders. Profile manager: Evelyn Wolff [send private message] Two people were left dead. pre order Queen of Thieves now for just 2.99. After trying his hand at crime as a. And involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. Throughout his life he denied the justice of this conviction, but he was happy to trade off it. When he was 10, the pair stole a cigarette machine from a local pub, hauled it to some waste ground and jemmied it open. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Whilst in Strangeways, Manchester in 1980, Fraser was 'excused boots' as he claimed he had problems with his feet because another prisoner had dropped a bucket of boiling water on them after Fraser had hit him; he was allowed to wear slippers. [28], "Gangland enforcer sets the record straight about 'the bad old days': Rhys Williams meets "Mad" Frankie Fraser, once known as Britain's most violent man", "Find & contact The White Hart in Waterloo", "Local and community news, opinion, video & pictures - Southport Visiter", "Tories condemn prisoners' freedom to read criminal memoirs", "Gangland enforcer 'Mad' Frankie Fraser dies at 90", "Mad Frankie Fraser given Asbo at age of 89 after bust-up at care home", "Gangster 'Mad' Frankie Fraser dies at 90", "Mad Frankie Fraser dead: Notorious gangster dies in hospital aged 90 following leg surgery", Personal website with biography and details of gangland tours, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frankie_Fraser&oldid=1107726220, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 15:09. 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. Fraser, whose health has been deteriorating in recent years, turned to crime aged just nine when he and his sister, Eva, became petty thieves. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please It was almost as if the biggest thrill of all was the act of stealing itself. The years just after World War II were a boom time for the gang, as clothing was rationed until 1949. By the time of the Swinging Sixties, she was drinking champagne with the Krays.
Who was 'Mad' Frankie Fraser? | The Irish Sun [8] Although his parents were not criminals, Fraser turned to crime aged 10 with his sister Eva, to whom he was close. 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. 'You name it, we nicked it,' he tells the . Fraser, he recalled, was more than capable of doing what he threatened. [6] Fraser was the youngest of five children and grew up in poverty. [9] The family was hard-working and kept themselves clean [out of crime].. 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. Morton was relieved that, rather than remonstrating, Fraser wanted him to write his life story. But his greatest moment of national notoriety came a quarter of a century earlier, during what the media billed as the Torture Trial (in fact a series of trials) in 1967 that became one of the longest in British criminal history. News reports were checked to see how much was owing. It was not that he thought he was Napoleon. He also ran a coach tour pointing out to a spectrum of customers the old criminal London. 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! 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. 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. Before World War Two, if you got married you were expected to leave work and stay at home, Beezy said. ", The new documentary returns to this theme, suggesting he had a hard time in prison because there were no criminals in his family. She operated out of Walworth, South East London and her home was called an 'Aladdin's cave of loot'. 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'. But few would perhaps know about the equally incredible lives led by his three sisters.
Frankie Fraser Profiles | Facebook "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The book upset some of those mentioned in it, and Morton was dismayed to arrive home one evening to find a message from Fraser on his answering machine, demanding to speak to him urgently. She and her friends looked like film stars when they went out down the pub. Involvement in such activities often led to his sentences being extended. With Warren at his heels, Fraser ambushed Spot in a Paddington street, knocking him to the ground with a shillelagh. When the police arrived, they found Hart lying under a lilac tree in a nearby garden. 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. 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. He was released from prison in 1985.[17]. 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. 42 years a lag She had died in.
Old London Photographs | This is Eva Fraser, sister of gangster " Mad There was also kind of respect for them locally because people could get a nice dress or a pair of stockings cheaply. 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. In 1996, he played (his friend) William Donaldson's guide to Marbella in the infamous BBC Radio 4 series A Retiring Fellow. Mason was found, barely alive, wearing only his underpants and wrapped in a blanket, on the steps of the London Hospital in Whitechapel.