[News] Ronnie Kray warned of 'life of misery' to Fred Dinenage

[BrightonCottager]

Edit. I hadn't spotted @Stato had got to the How? joke before me.

 

[The Clamp]

Well, I lived there in the 90s, having left Sussex aged 19 to live in east London. This would be 30 years or so after their life sentences were handed down and I never heard any talk or mention of them.

I think the East End had changed a lot by then, and a lot of their contemporaries were either dead or probably moved out to Basildon or Harlow.

What did still exist, in small pockets, was a (non-violent, so far as I could tell) flourishing and vibrant market in the buying and selling all manner of bent gear -usually fags, booze and portable electronics and dodgy designer gear in pubs and drinking clubs. It was all done quite openly and seen as almost a more honourable way of making money that having a legitimate job. It’s easy to see how two charismatic brothers with a fearsome reputation for violence flourished in that environment.

That’s the thing isn’t it. If you want to take control of an already illegal market, you’ve got to be willing to do be more fearsome than anyone else.



P.S can you get me a set of speakers for an Hinari midi system, circa 1989? Don’t want to spend more than a tenner ideally.

 

[el punal]

What was the general perception of them around that area?

Back in the late 1970s/early 80s I worked with a bloke from the east end - Hackney/Walthamstow area. One evening we were drinking in a boozer around that neck of the woods. He then told me that the pub we were in belonged to the Krays, they also owned five others. The Krays’ mum, Violet(?), was in charge as the twins were banged up. What was absolutely guaranteed was that none of these establishments ever had any trouble - I wonder why?

 

[Cotton Socks]

I find them fascinating from a sociological and psychological perspective. The 'they'd never harm their own' thing that @Lenny Rider said. 'Kill or be killed' is another rationale for what they did. It makes me wonder how much times have changed, or if they haven't at all. Gangs are still around killing, they're just more widespread. Media presents it as an everyday thing now. The only thing that appears to have changed is the reasons. Drugs rather than protection rackets to prevent your shop being smashed up if you didn't pay for protection. Yes I know that's rather simplistic, but that's part of the thing that interests me.

 

[Baldseagull]

I dated a girl for a while who's parents would be invited to Kray Family events. Never found out the source of the connection, but her dad built motorway bridges, I always wondered if he let them add the odd body to the foundations now and then.

Local bellend, Peter Gillet, found himself in prison and sharing a cell, and bed, with Reg Kray, for a botched armed robbery on a post office in Crawley. He and a mate turned up on a motorcycle with a sawn off, whilst the Post Office was closed for lunch, they left. They returned after lunch on the same day, whilst the Police were there investigating reports of armed men in motorcycle helmets.
He had a bit part in the Kemp brothers movie, and other pop/tv opportunities thanks to Kray entertainment industry connections and is currently serving 18 years for nonce behaviour.

 

[The Clamp]

I dated a girl for a while who's parents would be invited to Kray Family events. Never found out the source of the connection, but her dad built motorway bridges, I always wondered if he let them add the odd body to the foundations now and then.

Local bellend, Peter Gillet, found himself in prison and sharing a cell, and bed, with Reg Kray, for a botched armed robbery on a post office in Crawley. He and a mate turned up on a motorcycle with a sawn off, whilst the Post Office was closed for lunch, they left. They returned after lunch on the same day, whilst the Police were there investigating reports of armed men in motorcycle helmets.
He had a bit part in the Kemp brothers movie, and other pop/tv opportunities thanks to Kray entertainment industry connections and is currently serving 18 years for nonce behaviour.

Peter Gillett | Littlehampton | UK & Ireland Offenders Database

Reggie Kray’s ‘adopted son’ jailed for string of sex attacks on children

theukdb.co.uk

 

[BadFish]

I was hoping Fred was being warned of a “life of misery” pursuing a career as a regional news presenter.

misery for the audience

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

the pub we were in belonged to the Krays

I'm guessing the Blind Beggar on Whitechapel Rd? I'm a different generation but used to drink in there in the mid noughties and it hadn't changed much. Still run by some questionable types but they did always hire stunning eastern European bar maids and have a cracking live music night on the Monday - The Burns Brothers.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I was hoping Fred was being warned of a “life of misery” pursuing a career as a regional news presenter.

Was my first thought when glancing at the thread title.

The Krays wouldn’t have seen Steggers coming

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Edit. I hadn't spotted @Stato had got to the How? joke before me.

You must have known it would be someone's opening Gambit?

 

[Lenny Rider]

I dated a girl for a while who's parents would be invited to Kray Family events. Never found out the source of the connection, but her dad built motorway bridges, I always wondered if he let them add the odd body to the foundations now and then.

Local bellend, Peter Gillet, found himself in prison and sharing a cell, and bed, with Reg Kray, for a botched armed robbery on a post office in Crawley. He and a mate turned up on a motorcycle with a sawn off, whilst the Post Office was closed for lunch, they left. They returned after lunch on the same day, whilst the Police were there investigating reports of armed men in motorcycle helmets.
He had a bit part in the Kemp brothers movie, and other pop/tv opportunities thanks to Kray entertainment industry connections and is currently serving 18 years for nonce behaviour.

Reggie Kray's 'adoptive son' Peter Gillett sexually abused girl, 13

EXCLUSIVE: Victim Natasha Tullett was threatened by Gillett, who took her virginity and beat her, all behind her mum's back

www.mirror.co.uk

He briefly lived in Worthing, and was a Ref in the Sussex Sunday League, gave this like ‘Jack the Lad’ happy go lucky aura off, shows how good the evil ones are at covering up, early 90’s I would never thought him capable of being a child rapist.

@Baldseagull do you know what Nonce stands for?

 

[el punal]

I'm guessing the Blind Beggar on Whitechapel Rd? I'm a different generation but used to drink in there in the mid noughties and it hadn't changed much. Still run by some questionable types but they did always hire stunning eastern European bar maids and have a cracking live music night on the Monday - The Burns Brothers.

I wouldn’t know about the Blind Beggar. Another bit of info from back then was regarding the ‘heavy drapes’. Pubs used to have lock-ins after licensing hours and obviously raked in a fair amount of cash. Police, the naughty ones, would trawl around the area looking for those boozers. The giveaway would be lights on in the bar after hours. The bent coppers would then gain entry and demand a cut for not arresting the landlord. “You should’ve got heavy drapes.” was the stock phrase that the cops used when conducting this activity. The reason being that the ‘heavy drapes’ would block out any light from the pub and therefore the assumption being that no after hours drinking was taking place.

 

[schmunk]

I read through this whole thread without looking at the link in the first post, and it's only just now, having gone back to look at it, that I realise that the Krays weren't threatening Fred Dibnah...

 

[wellquickwoody]

Into all kinds of sick, divergent practices. Terrorising honest business owners was the presentable side of their behaviour.

Noncey pair of twerps.

Enough about the #twat supporters, what about the Krays?

 

[Bry Nylon]

I'm guessing the Blind Beggar on Whitechapel Rd? I'm a different generation but used to drink in there in the mid noughties and it hadn't changed much. Still run by some questionable types but they did always hire stunning eastern European bar maids and have a cracking live music night on the Monday - The Burns Brothers.

The Monday night live music (Burns Bros.) was actually in a little, narrow, sweaty pub just a little further along Whitechapel high street from the Blind Beggar, called The Lord Rodney’s Head. The used to do all the Blues Brothers stuff and then finish with songs from ‘Grease.’

I used to go there every Monday evening. Apart from the insane live music, where climbing on the tables was positively encouraged by the bar staff, the other attraction was the off duty nurses from the Royal London Hospital, opposite, on a night out.

Very happy days.

 

[Questions]

I read through this whole thread without looking at the link in the first post, and it's only just now, having gone back to look at it, that I realise that the Krays weren't threatening Fred Dibnah...

Well he never did chimneys in the east end of London. Make of that what you will.

 

[Lenny Rider]

The Blind Beggar‘s got a bit choosy in the 21st century.

In December 2022 I went to watch Isaac Lowe, Fury’s cousin, fight nearby at the York Hall. There was large traveller contingent there that night, Tyson led Isaac into the ring, yet both before and after the BB door staff were quite selective, effectively they didn’t let anyone who appeared to be a member of the Romany community in for a drink both before and after.

 

[AmexRuislip]

The Monday night live music (Burns Bros.) was actually in a little, narrow, sweaty pub just a little further along Whitechapel high street from the Blind Beggar, called The Lord Rodney’s Head. The used to do all the Blues Brothers stuff and then finish with songs from ‘Grease.’

I used to go there every Monday evening. Apart from the insane live music, where climbing on the tables was positively encouraged by the bar staff, the other attraction was the off duty nurses from the Royal London Hospital, opposite, on a night out.

Very happy days.

Sounds fun

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Tom Hardy was good

 

[METALMICKY]

As insightfully parodied* by Monty Python. The Piranha Brothers.



*When I say parodied, I mean defenestrated to the sound of maniacal laughter. Pair of weird ****s.

Loved this sketch.