the missing coventry

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Re: the missing coventry

Postby rebbonk » Tue Jun 28, 2022 12:53 pm

That's actually a touching anecdote, Blitzkid. Do you know what happened to her?
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby Blitzkid » Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:01 pm

REBBONK
yes I did the following April, I saw her from a distance in the market place she was with another guy and she looked happy and close to him so I disappeared, just a brief encounter that happened scores of times on my travels.
When my wife and I first moved to Brighton we joined a keep fit club, with a small pool, here we were swimming and in the showers with about 4/5 Swedish girls in the nude, Coventry was well behind the times those 50/60 days, I also changed my name several times amongst the racing fraternity, you never knew who was real or not, I was talking to a guy for a few minutes about horses, when he waked away some one said be careful of him he's the Krays Old man.; His 'sons beat him up' and that was their downfall, no one was going to shield them again, he was more popular than they in the day.
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby rebbonk » Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:38 pm

Blitzkid, absolutely fascinating! :cheers:

I know the legalities of changing your name, but how many times did you do this? Looking back, was it really worthwhile? Was it commonplace during your younger years?

I really enjoy your memories and anecdotes, I hope you don't think I'm nosey? I am genuinely curious as to life before my time. If you care to share anything, I'm all ears. ;)
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby Blitzkid » Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:39 am

rebbonk never changed my name legally I just used different names in different places, booking in AT hOSTEL I used my real name, but to the locals I used a different name like John or Mark, Took my wife to London as she had never been, first morning out of the Hotel and someone
I knew called to me John, from the other side the road waved and I answered, got funny looks from my wife, but I explained the race crowds, these were the days of the knife era.
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby Blitzkid » Wed Jun 29, 2022 2:52 pm

Rebbonk
Have you never read of Billy Hill, Jack spot, Frankie Francis and the London Gangs of the Fifties.?
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby rebbonk » Wed Jun 29, 2022 3:28 pm

Yes, I've heard of them, before my time though. Was Frankie Francis known as 'Mad' Frankie?

Any anecdotes you care to share? This type of thing fascinates me, we're moving into organised crime, which was always around the gambling world. Any memories of the more 'upper crust' gambling dens of the time?

Didn't the Krays think they could take Birmingham and find out they were mistaken?

Sorry, I know I'm being nosey but I am genuinely interested in what happened in the post-war years, especially crimes.
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby Blitzkid » Wed Jun 29, 2022 4:09 pm

The London gang kept to London where they all lived and kept the police at bay, no one talked out of turn, they had their hand in all the clubs, those that did not comply got dealt with, like Freddie Mills, that know one knew the truth.
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby Blitzkid » Wed Jun 29, 2022 4:22 pm

YES HE WAS MAD frankie used his knife a lot across the face, Yur not being nosey to me. there was a lot of ex-soldiers like me that had the skills for dirty deeds, like the great train robbery, that didn't happen till 12 years later than first part-planned. had I gone in to big time gambling I would have been targetted, there were other guys from Coventry i knew that went into crime.
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby rebbonk » Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:33 pm

Freddie Mills the boxer? A nightclub owner who died in rather 'odd' circumstances? IIRC, nobody was ever brought to book for his death?

Your comments about TGTR are interesting. From my own readings and research of this, the brains behind it were never caught, and the suspicion was that there was someone high up in the Post Office that was an 'inside' man? Unfortunately, I'm likely to be long gone (as are any others that know the truth) by the time the archives are released into the public domain. That you think it was planned a few years before adds a little credence to my own thoughts and research. :thumbsup:
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Re: the missing coventry

Postby dutchman » Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:21 pm

Blitzkid wrote:The London gang kept to London where they all lived and kept the police at bay

There was a running gag that they had to step outside London before they could be arrested!

Following the cold-blooded assassination of three police officers in Shepherd's Bush, that all changed though.
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