Gangsters in the Making

When they were younger Ron and Reg made a vow that they would either be boxers or villains. Being called up into the Army ended their boxing career and put them firmly on the road to infamy as Britain's best known Gangsters.

When they came out of the Army they did various odd jobs including protection and bouncing for some small time villains but they didn't want to work for anyone but themselves.

The turning point for them came when they bought a seedy snooker club in Bethnal Green. It was the type of club that always had trouble, fights all the time, getting smashed up on a regular basis, no self respecting person would ever set foot inside it. They approached the lease holder who said "Okay, if you think you can sort the club out then the lease is yours". They called it the Regal. In no time at all the club was turned around, the fighting had stopped and the clientele had improved.

Did this miraculous recovery come about because of the Twins own reputation for violence or as it has been said by many, that they were responsible for all the trouble in the first place?

The Twins loved to drink, they could drink day and night and not get over drunk, a skill they inherited from their father, who was always in the pub. Their favourite tipple was a gin and tonic. So it was a natural sort of progression for them to acquire clubs where they could continue to drink at their leisure.

It was at the Regal that a Maltese mob tried to collect protection money from the Twins. One of the gang had a bayonet thrust through his hand. The others were lucky to escape with their lives.

The Twins started using a club called The Vienna Rooms, off Edgware Road. The club was frequented by two of the Twins heroes, Jack Spot and Billy Hill, who between them ran the whole of London. Ron and Reg would sit for hours with them listening and learning everything they could.

They worked for Jack Spot for a while at the racecourses providing protection for the Bookmakers. Jack Spot would provide bucket boys to wash the chalk off the boards and the minders would make sure that the Bookmakers didn't get any trouble from irate punters or rival gangs.

Mad Frankie Fraser, gangland enforcer, also served his apprenticeship on the courses as a bucket boy for Darbo Sabini, when he was ten years old.

They had learnt well from their brief time with Jack Spot and Billy Hill but it was time to move on.

By now the Twins reputation went before them, they were into every scam you could think of.

They hi-jacked lorries laden with everything from furniture to cigaretters. They dealt in National Service exemption certificates, and Dockers Tickets which allowed men to work on the docks for short hours and massive amounts of pay and anything else they could get their hands on.

In 1957 Ron was sent to prison for three years for GBH on a man called Terry Martin outside a pub in Stepney. He was also charged with possessing a fire arm. Reg was also charged with GBH but was found not guilty.

While Ron was away, Reg opened up another club in Bow and called it The Double R. Charlie, who was usually kept in the background away from any wheeling and dealing, put some money up for the club, for which he was given a percentage of the takings. The club flourished. Reg acquired many clubs that had previously been mysteriously firebombed. The Kray empire was gradually being built. It has been said that they owned or had a stake in more than thirty clubs and bars.