George Cornell (1928 - 1966) - Find A Grave Memorial London Borough of Tower Hamlets Greater London, England Villain of London's East End during the 1960's and former associate from childhood of the legendary Kray twins. His birth name was George Myers. Cornell moved to South London, and joined the gang of "Mad" Frankie Fraser and Eddie Richardson, arch enemy of the Kray's. Cornell would often talk down to the Krays whenever they tried to muscle in on any dealings with Fraser and Richardson. This displeased the Kray's, particularly Ronnie. Rumour was spreading that Cornell had been calling Ronnie Kray terrible names and mocking him. When Ronnie got word of this it finally made his mind-up that Cornell was to be killed. On the night of the 9th March, 1966, Ronnie got word that Cornell was drinking in the Blind Beggar pub, in the heart of the East End. Ronnie summoned one of his drivers, John 'Scotch Jack' Dickson to take him there along with Ian Barrie his right-hand man. When they arrived at The Blind Beggar, Dickson waited outside while Ronnie and Ian Barrie went inside.

Cornell and Albie Woods (fellow Richardson gang member) were seated at the bar. When Cornell saw Ronnie he calmly said, "Well look who's here" in a sneering sort of way. Ronnie did not say a word. He took a 9mm Mauser pistol from his pocket and shot Cornell. Ian Barrie fired some shots into the ceiling. They both turned around and walked out as calmly as they had walked in.There was a record playing on the juke box that had been hit by one of the ricocheting bullets. It was 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' by the Walker Brothers and it kept repeating, "the sun ain't gonna shine any more...any more...any more..." It wasn't long before Ronnie was arrested and put on an identification parade. The witnesses couldn't (more likely wouldn't) identify Ronnie and he was released, a sign of the hold and respect East Ender's had for the Kray Twins. Kray was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder three years later and remained in prison until his death in 1995.

(bio by: Kieran Smith) Cause of death: Shot by Ronnie Kray Krayzy Days – Why London gangster Ronnie Kray really shot George Cornell inside the Blind Beggar pub in 1966 | John Fleming's blog - SO IT GOES Krayzy Days – Why London gangster Ronnie Kray really shot George Cornell inside the Blind Beggar pub in 1966 (A version of this piece was also published on the Indian news site WSN ) Malcolm Hardee iconic autobiography Towards the start of comedian Malcolm Hardee ’s autobiography I Stole Freddie Mercury’s Birthday Cake , this passage appears: ______________________________ There was a club in Catford called The Witchdoctor. It was a club we all went to although they didn’t sell drink. Downstairs there was ‘Mr Smiths’ – a gambling casino…. Eddie Richardson was involved in a big shooting at Mr Smith’s, underneath The Witchdoctor. It was a inter-gang thing. They all met down the gaming club and this bloke got shot and was bleeding all over the place from an artery. ‘Mad Frankie’ Fraser (the Richardson’s infamous ‘enforcer’) hit a bloke who subsequently died and ‘Mad Frankie’ himself was shot in the thigh.

He got outside and the police found him lying in a front garden round the corner in Fordel Road, Catford, where my Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Doug were then living. His mates had just left ‘Mad Frankie’ there. A bit inconsiderate to the neighbours. No-one outside South East London knew the Richardsons until they were arrested and there was a lot of publicity at their trial about torturing people in a home-made electric chair. But everyone knew The Krays . As comedian Lee Hurst says, the Blind Beggar must be the biggest pub in the world. Every time you meet a London taxi driver he says he was in the Blind Beggar the day Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell. Some people say the Krays wouldn’t have been big if there hadn’t been the shooting in the Blind Beggar. But these days people are getting shot all the time. In the paper yesterday there was a bloke shot in a pub in Yorkshire at lunchtime. I suppose The Krays were setting a trend. The Krays also had that showbiz thing about them.

They actually owned a club; the actress Barbara Windsor was a girlfriend of Charlie Kray and later married Ronnie Knight who worked for The Krays; and the Conservative politician Lord Bob Boothby, whose mistress had been Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s wife, was having it off with Ronnie, the gay Kray. ______________________________________________________ Micky Fawcett in the May Fair Hotel, London, yesterday Yesterday, I had tea at the May Fair Hotel in London with former Kray Twins associate Micky Fawcett. His new book Krayzy Days is that rare thing – a totally true insight into what it was like being with the Kray Twins – Ronnie & Reggie – and their brother Charlie. “Did the Kray Twins have a sense of humour?” I asked. “Ronnie had a very good sense of humour,” Micky told me, “Reggie had no sense of humour, but Ronnie did.” “What type?” I asked. “Black humour?” “Yes,” said Micky. “Black humour.” “Or maybe black and blue,” I suggested. “He was an Oscar Wilde type,” mused Micky. “I’m not saying he was witty, but he would have loved Oscar Wilde.

The way Oscar Wilde used to carry on.” “Because he felt he was clever and superior?” I asked. Ronnie Kray (left) with boxer Sonny Liston & Micky Fawcett “Well, Ronnie felt superior,” Micky agreed. “He was called The Colonel. He thought he was superior to everything and everybody. As I say in my book, I was round the Twins’ house one day and somebody dropped in a copy of Private Eye . It was about ‘Knacker of The Yard’ (Private Eye’s name for un-named policemen) and all that – I can’t remember exactly what it was about. But Ronnie read it and laughed for the rest of the day. “He used to describe himself as ‘a well-known thug and poof’.” “But,” I said, “he took exception when George Cornell called him a poof.” “No, that’s…” said Micky. “When Ronnie shot him in the Blind Beggar pub,” I added. The Blind Beggar pub in London “Well,” said Micky, “in the book I tell the true reason for that. It has nothing to do with homosexuality at all. It’s in the book. I was visiting someone in Dartmoor Prison.

But, the day before the Blind Beggar shooting, there was the big tear-up at Mr Smith’s in Catford.” “That’s the one mentioned in Malcolm Hardee’s autobiography,” I said. “Yes,” said Micky. “Everybody was Whoa! Did you hear that? Whoa! My God! and all that. Frank Fraser finished up with a bullet in his leg in that front garden. It was a big tear-up between the Richardsons and another local ‘firm’. “The following evening, I was going to Dartmoor, so I went over to the Regency club to meet the fellah I was going with – the Regency being a club in Hackney frequented by the Krays, who had a small share in it. People think they owned it, but the Barry family owned it. “When I got to the Regency, I saw Reggie outside and he said: What about the news! Reggie was a very uptight sort of fellah. He never hardly showed his emotions. But he grabbed hold of me and he was waltzing me round on the pavement saying: What about it, Mick? Wasn’t it great? The Richardsons had been arrested.

“But I didn’t feel very elated by it at all. They had never done anything to me and, as I came away, I thought to myself: I’ve a feeling now that the next thing is going to be them (The Krays). Once these things get underway, the police nick everybody. The Richardsons had been arrested, but it wasn’t something to celebrate. “I met my pal. We went to Dartmoor Prison. Visited a fellah down there. Frank Mitchell was on the visit as well. When we used to go to Dartmoor, we’d get my mate out and say to the screw (the prison guard): Can you get Frank Mitchell too? and he’d get Frank Mitchell.” Nine months later, ‘Mad Axeman’ Frank Mitchell was sprung from Dartmoor Prison by the Kray Twins and subsequently murdered on their orders when they found out he really was uncontrollably mad. “Frank Mitchell would come for a chat at Dartmoor,” explained Micky, “because he didn’t have any visitors of his own. He’d sit down and say to the screw: You look after him, cos he’s a friend of mine and I’m telling you, if you don’t...

and the screw would say Alright, Frank, alright. OK, Frank, keep calm... That’s a fact. They were good experiences when I look back. “Anyway, we come home to London and, early in the morning, I got a newspaper and it said: MAN SHOT DEAD IN THE BLIND BEGGAR PUB. So I get on the phone straight away to Charlie Kray. He says: Meet me outside Mile End station. So I go straight there and I can remember it as if it was yesterday. George Cornell in a police photo “I said to him: Reggie? and he said No, Ronnie. I said Yeah? He said Yeah. What’s happened, Mick… you know that turn-out down there…” (Micky and I agreed that, for the rest of the exact detail of this story, you will have to buy Micky’s book… He’s no fool and I am not going to argue with him. So there is a section of our conversation missing here… Micky then continued…) “So he’s going to throw a petrol bomb into Freddie Foreman ’s pub.

“And Charlie Kray told me I wish you’d been here, Mick, because you’d have been the obvious choice to send over because I would have liaised – I used to – but they sent Nobby and he’s come back and gone Oh, it’s all off again! Murders! We’ve gotta do something! They’re going to burn Fred’s pub down! “And Ronnie’s gone What? And Ronnie’s got all excited, cos he’s mad and he’s gone Give me a shooter! Right! Right! Let’s have a drive round and see if we… and he’s gone into the Blind Beggar and Boom! and that’s it. Just cos Cornell was one of them, cos he was associated with the Richardsons. “I got on well with Georgie Cornell. He came from Stepney but was very friendly with the Richardsons in South London. He wasn’t 100% with them all the time. And all kinds of strange stories have gone on about why he was shot. Micky Fawcett’s new myth-busting book “The strangest of them all is that Georgie Cornell gave Ronnie a terrible beating on some previous occasion. John Pearson says it in his book.

But the fellah who told Pearson is a terrible liar.” “Is he alive?” I asked. “Yes.” “Well I’m not going to print that he’s a terrible liar, am I?” I said. “He might take it amiss.” “Don’t worry about him,” Micky told me. “He’d have trouble getting out of his armchair.” “There are so many stories,” I said to Micky: “The comedian Lee Hurst used to say that the Blind Beggar must be the biggest pub in the world because, every time you met any London taxi driver, he would claim he was in there the night Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell.” “Well,” Micky told me, “in the pub that night there really was this fellah called George The Fib.” “Is he violent, is he still alive and does he live near me?” I asked. “You’re OK,” said Micky, “he’s dead. But he was called George The Fib cos he was known for lying about everything so, when he told people he had been in the Blind Beggar the night of the shooting, no-one would believe him. He was going around afterwards saying What about that turn-out?

I was in there that night… but no-one would believe him. The Old Bill didn’t even interview him.” “Krayzy Days indeed,” I said. 'I interviewed the Krays and here are their blood-curdling confessions of murder, sex and stardom' - Mirror Online News 'I interviewed the Krays and here are their blood-curdling confessions of murder, sex and stardom' Legendary Daily Mirror feature writer Paul Callan on his chilling prison interviews with violent twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, how they confessed to murder and confirms Tom Hardy has captured their menace perfectly in his new film Share Paul Callan and The Krays (Photo: Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix) Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email It was when Ronnie Kray lowered his voice to a hard, even-toned whisper that you detected the menace. His eyes suddenly grew black and he leaned forward across the small, plastic-topped table, his face just inches from your own. “ George Cornell ?” he said, as if jeering at the very name. “He was a drunkard and a bully and I done him.

Me – not my brother.” Cornell, a violent gangster who openly mocked the Kray twins, met his end while sitting at the bar of the London East End pub The Blind Beggar, on March 9, 1966. Victim: George Cornell was murdered by Ronnie Kray Word had reached the Krays that the thuggish Cornell had called Ronnie “a big fat poof” – an insult that guaranteed his death sentence. Thus Ronnie never hesitated that evening at exactly 8.30pm. Despite a taunting cry of “Look what the dog has dragged in” from Cornell, Ronnie calmly took a 9mm Luger from his pocket and shot him once in the forehead. There was an icy pause, then a light triumphant smile as Ronnie remembered the scene. Then he added with visible relish: “I done the earth a favour…” Strong memories of my interview with Ronnie returned forcibly to me this week when I watched a screening of Legend, a new film about the Krays in which the brilliant Tom Hardy plays both brothers.

Twins: Ronnie and Reggie Kray were interviewed in prison by Daily Mirror reporter Paul Callan (Photo: Mirrorpix) I interviewed the twins – Ronnie in Broadmoor in 1983 and Reggie three years later in Parkhurst Prison – at a time when they were near to having served 20 years of their sentences. For anyone, like me, who spent even a short time with these infamous brothers who had held London in a grip with their murderous protection rackets, it was chillingly clear that Tom Hardy has captured their stomach-churning air of murderous intent. The hard stares, the icy tones of their voices, and the manner in which they assessed you – everything was there. It was like being back in their presence thirty-odd years ago. Video Loading Share this video Watch Next Ronnie, the older by 45 minutes was 48 when I met him in Broadmoor, the grim, Victorian high security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire. I joined others on visiting day and, although I had not sought permission from the Home Office, I was able to take notes without being noticed. The very fact that I was writing down Ronnie’s observations appeared to please him.

It gave him a sense of importance and when another “patient” (as prisoners are called at Broadmoor) approached us, Ronnie waved him away, “I’m being interviewed by the Daily Mirror,” he said. “Don’t bother us just now.” Writer: Paul Callan met both Ronnie and Reggie Kray (Photo: Daily Mirror) Judging by his appearance incarceration seemed to agree with him. His light blue pleated shirt fitted him easily and his blue check 60-ish style trousers were snug around the hips. He had a clean, almost scrubbed look about him and the raven black hair carried only wisps of grey. A heavy gold Rolex watch hung from his left wrist and he half smoked Benson and Hedges cigarettes, grinding their last seconds into an old tobacco tin. His fingers were fussily-manicured – ironically, not the hands of a killer, but of an artist. He liked to paint, he said, and even offered to send me one of his landscapes. His long, pointed face, dominated by a squarish nose, was close and the occasionally wary eyes drilled hard into you.

Sad: Reggie Kray, centre, is escorted in handcuffs by plain clothes police officers as he attends the funeral of his mother Violet at Chingford Mount Cemetery at Chingford, Essex (Photo: Getty) He spoke of his early days “inside” when depression often enveloped him. “But now I take it all easy. All easy like,” he said. “I keep fit with a lot of exercise – particularly walking.” Then he allowed himself a little joke. “But not right out of the gate.” There was the shadow of a smile. Then came a surprising admission . “I love opera? Do you? Maria Callas, Gigli. Lovely stuff. My favourite is Madam Buttterfly. And I like that big bloke, Pavarotti. Can you send me a tape of him singing? I’d like that.” He still felt close to his brother and harboured deep anger that Reggie was still a Category A prisoner. His eyes darkened. “I understand to a point why I’ve got to do a long time in prison,” he said. “But not my brother. Not Reggie. “He never done no murders. I done them. Reg is innocent.” You could almost smell the seething resentment.

He was, by now, clearly furious. “We never harmed no one on the outside. No ‘civilians’. We kept to our own people. “We got 30 years. But they let people who do sex crimes and things to little children out after a few years. Is that fair?” He calmed down and sipped a (non-alcoholic) lager. Suddenly, he asked: “Do you know Judy Garland? She came to see me. And Diana Dors, she’s been here and that boxer John Conteh. Lovely fella….” Tough: Ronnie Kray, (left) and Reggie Kray, during their amateur boxing days in their youth In their hey-day the twins entertained many celebrities and when I mentioned that Liza Minnelli was performing in London, his faced brightened. “Do you think she’d come and see me? I’d love that,” he said. Our conversation finally led to sex and he prodded my notebook with his forefinger. “I want you to write this down – and I want you to say that I am proud to have Jewish blood and that I am also proud to be homosexual.

Have you got that?” Ronnie kept glancing nervously at his Rolex, as if time was closing in on him. Then a shrill bell announced the end of visiting time and he gave me a parting iron hand grip. “Promise you’ll come back again,” he said, almost child-like, and added quietly: “If you see my brother Reggie, tell him I’m happy. Yeah happy.” And he went led tenderly away. I was able to pass on that message three years later when, after much intricate arranging, I interviewed Reggie in Parkhurst Prison. Here was a man who exuded strength and hideous violence. There was a presence about him – one that was readily recognised by other prisoners. He personified power and all around other convicts stood as he passed by. The visiting wives, some with sad, drained faces, smiled at him and a couple even touched his hand. He was bigger, more muscular than Ronnie and he sported a grey sweat-shirt with the word “Lonsdale” across his boxer’s chest. In their youth, the twins were promising in the ring – and could easily have been contenders.

Scene: The 'Blind Beggar' Public House on Whitechapel Road in Mile End, East London, where George Cornell was killed (Photo: Mirrorpix) We chatted about the old days and I ventured the view that he and his brother had terrified a lot of people. Did he regret it? He gave a thin smile. “Yeah, I do regret some of them things. And I do know I did frighten quite a lot people.” Reggie wanted these questions to go away and his eyes grew hard behind the blue-tinted glasses. “I don’t allow myself to live in the past,” he said. I persisted. “But how many people did you kill?” Now those dark eyes registered danger and I was glad a couple of prison officers were nearby. “Look,” he said in a threatening whisper, “that’s a libellous question. I’m in here for one murder.” Then he openly admitted for the first time ever that he had murdered Jack “The Hat” McVitie, another evil hoodlum who fell foul of the twins. “Yeah, I killed McVitie. He had boasted he was going to kill me with a shot gun.

So it was really self-defence.” But was he pointing a gun at you at the time? “No,” said Reggie. “But I heard he was going to kill me – so I killed him. I stabbed him with a knife. “He deserved it. Once, he stabbed someone in a club and came upstairs and wiped the knife on some women’s dresses.” There followed a lengthy pause. Then he said, with a noisy laugh: “Well, he wasn’t such a nice guy, was he?” Stabbed: Jack "Jack the Hat" McVitie was killed by Reggie Kray He had, like Ronnie, a lingering affection for the good old days when it was considered smart to be seen with the Krays. Socialites, MPs and members of the House of Lords and many a star, liked the dangerous charisma that rubbed off on them. It was hoodlum chic. They were even photographed by celebrity photographer David Bailey. “Yeah, he was a nice geezer,” said Reggie. “Good days.” The last time I saw the twins was when they were let out for the funeral of their formidable mother Violet, to whom they were particularly close.

Even they looked surprised at the numbers who turned up to see them arrive for a funeral service at Chingford Old Church in Essex. Tribute: Ronnie Kray as he attends the funeral of his mother Violet at Chingford Mount Cemetery at Chingford, Essex (Photo: Getty) But the authorities were determined the twins were not seen in any heroic light. They were accompanied by extra tall prison officers who towered over them, making these one time giants of villainy look small. Death finally caught up with them – Ronnie in 1995 and Reggie five years later. Sentencing them in 1969 at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Melford Stevenson said, with scornful understatement: “In my view, society has earned a rest from your activities.” But as the new film proves, their legend, steeped in evil, lives on.

Like us on Facebook Still no pity for Cornell murder at Whitechapel’s Blind Beggar by Kray family 50 years on - News - East London Advertiser Still no pity for Cornell murder at Whitechapel’s Blind Beggar by Kray family 50 years on 15:14 14 March 2016 Reggie and Ronnie Kray and (inset) East London Advertiser's front page reporting their downfall in March, 1969. Archant There seems no pity for George Cornell’s murder at Whitechapel’s Blind Beggar pub by notorious gangster Ronnie Kray half-a-century later. Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Blind Begger Killing of George Cornell by Ronnie Kray in March, 1966, by artist Joe Machine Yesterday’s 50th anniversary of Cornell’s killing at the bar was marked by a charity memorabilia sale organised by friends of the Kray family to raise money for Bethnal Green’s famous Repton boxing club, where Ronnie and his twin Reggie and older brother Charlie once trained.

Kray fans who weren’t even born when the crime family dominated London’s shadowy underworld in the 1950s and 60s arrived at the Blind Beggar from all over the country—many with young children—from as far as Wolverhampton, Bristol and Worcester. They came for souvenir mugs, T-shirts, photos and books on the Krays, have their pictures taken in the bar where Ronnie blasted Cornell with a bullet to the head and to mingle with former underworld figures who turned up like Toby Judge, Steve Wrath and “Dodger” Steve Tully, the ex-bank robber from Bow who became Reggie Kray’s “pupil” and cellmate in prison. Charlie Kray’s former business partner John Corbett also arrived. Kim Peat... Krays' second-cousin Five decades have passed since Cornell’s shooting, but relatives of the Krays living today in Bethnal Green feel no remorse. “I stand by my cousin—if Ronnie hated the man there was a reason,” Kim Peat told the East London Advertiser. “We don’t feel guilty. If Cornell was an innocent, nice bloke, then probably.

Maureen Flanagan and copy of front-page from 1969 when Krays were sent down at Old Bailey “But he was a flash bloke who threatened the twins and the family and got what was coming to him. “It may seem harsh and unforgiving—but I’m like that.” Kim, 55, remembers the twins as a child during those troubled times. She grew up on tales her mother Rita Smith told her of her younger days going to dances with the twins. Rita—their first cousin—died last year aged 79. Repton Boxing club's chairman Dave Robinson shows picture of Krays in the ring to Maureen Flanagan “I don’t care what they done—whatever happened, happened,” Kim tells you. “They done it for a reason. “Ronnie was asked before he died if he ever regretted killing Cornell and he said he didn’t. Ronnie hated Cornell, so he killed him—and that’s that.” Sunday’s fundraiser was the brainchild of former Page 3 pin-up Maureen Flanagan, now 75, who was the twins’ mother Violet’s hairdresser calling at the Krays’ home in Vallance Road each week. John Corbett...

Charlie Kray's former business partner She launched her own book about her friendship with the family at the Blind Beggar last summer, with many of their gangland henchman now in their 70s and 80s turning up. One of the henchmen was Chris Lambrianou, who stayed away from the Blind Beggar on Sunday “out of respect for Cornell” who he knew long before joining the Krays’ gang. But Maureen insisted: “We’re not celebrating Cornell’s murder. Painting of Krays "dealing with a liberty taker" by artist Joe Machine (inset) “I’m doing it for the Repton club, where the Krays learned how to look after themselves, like we’re trying to do for the young people in the East End.” Her Paragon charity shop in Well Street, South Hackney, had already raised £500 for the Repton last week and she handed club chairman Dave Robinson a cheque yesterday. She also handed another £150 raised from an auction of Krays souvenirs to the club today. “We’re not celebrating anyone’s death,” Flanagan insisted. “Ronnie Kray was determined to kill Cornell.

He thought it would be the perfect murder, because no-one would talk. But it took a year for police to work on the barmaid—they got here as a witness in the end.” Cornell grew up in Bethnal Green with the Krays—but they never forgave him for joining up with their rival Richardson mob in Elephant & Castle. Turning up in Whitechapel was “too much” for Ronnie Kray, who walked into the pub and shot him at point-blank range. Another bullet fired by an accomplice into the wall of the pub still lodges in the brickwork, long-since plastered over. Ronnie and Reggie Kray | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Ronnie and Reggie Kray Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. REAL WORLD BIO Status Both deceased "They were the best years of our lives. They called them the swinging sixties. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were rulers of pop music, Carnaby Street ruled the fashion world...

and me and my brother ruled London. We were fucking untouchable." - Ronnie Kray in his autobiography Ronald "Ronnie" Kray and Reginald "Reggie" Kray were two British gangster brothers who were active in the 1960s. Contents Edit The Kray twins were born on October 24, 1933 in Hoxton, East England, Reggie ten minutes before Ronnie. They had a six-year-old brother, Charlie Jr., and also later had a sister, Viola, who died an infant. Their parents were Charles "Charlie" Kray and Violet Lee-Kray. When World War 2 began, Charles Sr. went into hiding to avoid being drafted. When the twins were three, both came down with diphteria. Reggie recovered quickly, but Ronnie almost died. In 1942, Ronnie also suffered a head injury while fighting with his brother. Inspired by their maternal grandfather, Jimmy "Cannonball" Lee, both took up amateur boxing and even made it to the finals of the London Schools Boxing Championship. They formed a gang, which became infamous in the area, and narrowly dodged prison sentences on several occasions.

The longest legitimate job the twins had in their lives was a six-month stint at a fish market. In 1952, the Krays were drafted for National Service in the Royal Fusiliers, a British Army infantry regiment, but frequently deserted, only to be recaptured every time. While on the lam, the twins assaulted a police officer who tried to apprehend them and were arrested. After a brief stay in the Tower of London (they were among the last to serve prison time there), they were sent to a military prison where they frequently assaulted guards and caused mayhem. Finally, the twins were dishonorably discharged, ending their boxing careers, and began a life of crime. Crimes, Incarcerations and Deaths Edit In Bethnal Green, a district of the East End of London, the twins bought an old billiards club with a loan from their older brother, formed a gang with Cockney and Scottish criminals they called "The Firm" and began running several protection rackets, escalating to armed robbery, hijacking and arson in the late 1950s. They also extorted money from other, lesser local criminals.

In 1956, Ronnie shot a car dealer in the leg during a botched deal and was identified by the victim as the attacker, but got away from prosecution by pretending to be Reggie, who had a solid alibi. On November 5 that year, Ronnie was sent to Wandsworth Prison for an unrelated assault, leaving Reggie in charge of the Firm. He opened a night club called The Double R in the East End in 1957. The brothers also brought in their older brother to handle their nightclub accounts. By the 1960s, the twins had established themselves in the London scene with their glamorous nightclubs and had celebrities such as members of parliament, famous actors and singers as customers. In 1964, the brothers made headlines when The Daily Mirror claimed to have photographic evidence that a well-known member of the House of Lords was having a sexual relationship with a gangster; six days later, a German magazine named the two people as Conservative Party member Lord Boothby and Ronnie Kray. When Boothby threatened to sue, The Daily Mirror fired its editor, backed down with the story, apologized and settled out of court for £40,000.

The first murder of which the Kray twins were eventually convicted was that of George Cornell, a member of the Richardson Gang, a rivaling local gang, on March 9, 1966. He and fellow member George Dixon were at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel when the Krays and a bunch of associates walked in. When Dixon quipped "Look who's here", Ronnie walked up to Cornell and shot him in front of several customers. Reggie held Dixon at gunpoint, but let him live. Cornell was taken to a hospital, but died around 3:30 a.m. Even though there were several witnesses, none dared to testify against the Krays and Ronnie was released. Legend has it that the fight started when either Dixon or Cornell (sources vary) called Ronnie a "fat poof", but according to Frankie Fraser, an associate of the Krays, it didn't happen. Ronnie himself also denied the story, claiming that he shot Cornell because he was making threats against him and Reggie.

On December 12, 1966, the Krays helped one of their associates, Frank "The Mad Axeman" Mitchell, out of Dartmoor prison and let him stay in a friend's apartment. Being very large and suffering from a mental disorder, Mitchell proved very difficult to handle. In 1967, he disappeared and his body was never found. Though the twins were never found guilty of killing him, an associate of theirs, Freddie Foreman, claimed in his autobiography that Mitchell was shot to death and his body disposed of at sea. On May 8, 1968, the Krays and several of their associates were arrested as a result of the efforts of Scotland Yard Inspector Leonard "Nipper" Read. Many of them, including the Kray twins, were convicted. Ronnie and Reggie were found guilty of killing Cornell and McVitie and sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. Charlie Kray was sentenced to 10 years as an accessory to the murders. Found legally insane due to his paranoid schizophrenia, Ronnie was placed in the Broadmoor Hospital and remained there until his death from a heart attack in 1995.

Reggie was in prison until August 26, 2000, when he was released on compassionate grounds, having bladder cancer. He only spent a little over a month as a free man before dying in his sleep on October 1. Ten years after finishing his sentence, Charlie Kray brokered the movie rights to his family's story and made a substantial amount of money, which he used to return to organized crime. In 1997, he was jailed again for trying to import £69 million worth of cocaine. On April 4, 2000, a few months before Reggie's death, he passed away from natural causes. Modus Operandi The Krays killed George Cornell by shooting him. When they killed Jack "The Hat" McVitie, they tried to shoot him, but stabbed him to death instead when the gun jammed.

Known Victims March 9, 1966: George Cornell (shot three times in the head) Unspecified date in 1966-1967: Frank "Mad Axeman" Mitchell (possibly; disappeared; allegedly shot) October 28, 1967: Jack "The Hat" McVitie (attempted to shoot, then stabbed in the face, chest, and stomach instead) The Krays: Murder at the Blind Beggar|MurderMap - London Homicide Reported Direct from The Old Bailey Categories: Gang Case synopsis: The Blind Beggar public house in Whitechapel was the scene for an infamous gangland murder by one of the Kray Twins. At around 8.30pm on 9 March 1966 George Cornell was sitting at the saloon bar drinking a light ale when he was approached by Ronald Kray. When Cornell dismissed him with the words 'Look who's here', Kray pulled out his 9mm Luger and shot him once in the forehead. Cornell, an associate of the rival Richardson gang, died in hospital at 3.30am the next morning.

The feud between the Krays and the Richardsons had started in Christmas 1965 when Cornell called Ronnie Kray a 'fat poof.' Although Kray was identified by several witnesses at the pub, they refused to testify against him and he was not arrested until 1968. Ronald Kray was convicted of the murder of George Cornell at the Old Bailey on 4 March, 1969 and jailed for life. He was still behind bars when he died in 1995. The Krays George Cornell On the 9th of March 1966, George Cornell was killed in the Blind Beggar public house by Ronnie Kray. It has been said that Ronnie killed him because he called him a big fat poof to his face. If this had been the case then he would have been killed there and then. The fact that he may have uttered these words at all would prove to be just another nail in his coffin. George Cornell had grown up with the Twins in the back streets of the East End so they knew him as well as anyone. They weren't afraid of him but they knew what he was capable of and they were always wary of him.

He was a formidable looking figure, about six foot tall , with a neck like a tree trunk. The man knew no fear, he was aggressive and could handle anything or anyone that got in his way. He has been described as a 'sick sadistic bastard' that loved to inflict pain on his enemies. He once got 3 years for slashing a woman's face. He was a heavy drinker and when he was drunk everyone would stay well clear of him. He moved to South London after meeting a girl from The Elephant and Castle. And it wasn't too long before he teamed up with Charlie and Eddie Richardson, the scrap metal dealers who ruled South London and Mad Frankie Fraser, the enforcer. The Krays were upset that their one time acquaintance had teemed up with their rivals who, as well as the Krays, were fighting for control of gangland London and the West End in particular. There were a number of occasions when the Twins tried to muscle in on the Richardsons but were told by Cornell, in no uncertain terms that there wasn't any room for them in the deals. They seemed to accept this at the time but Ronnie didn't like being spoken down to, especially by Cornell.

This played on Ronnie's mind and when the shooting at Mr Smith's and the Witchdoctor took place, he knew he had to act. It was at Mr Smith's that their cousin Dickie Hart was shot and killed. They blamed Cornell, who they say, was the only one to escape from the scene. A few days later, Cornell and Albie Woods were visiting their friend Jimmy Andrews in hospital who had lost his leg in a shooting. On the way back they stopped for a drink at the Blind Beggar public house in the Whitechapel road. The Twins were having a drink with some of the Firm in the 'Widows' pub in Tapp street. It's real name was the Lion but it was called the 'Widows' because the Landlady's husband had died. Ronnie received a phone call telling him that Cornell was in the Blind Beggar. He told Reg that he was going to do Cornell. Reg said "lets talk about it". But Ronnie didn't want to talk. His mind had been made up long before the phone call. He took Reg's driver, John 'Scotch Jack' Dickson and Ian Barrie, his right hand man.

They jumped in their ford cortina and set off for the Beggars. On the way they stopped to pick up some guns. When they arrived at the pub, Dickson waited outside while Ron and Ian Barrie went inside. Cornell and Woods were seated at the bar. When Cornell saw Ron he said, "Well look who's here" in a mocking, sneering sort of way. Ron didn't say a word he just took a 9mm Mauser pistol from his pocket and shot Cornell In the head. Ian Barrie fired some shots into the ceiling. They turned around and walked out as calmly as they had walked in. There was a record playing on the juke box that had been hit by one of the ricocheting bullets. It was called 'The sun ain't gonna shine any more' by the Walker Brothers and it and it kept repeating, "the sun ain't gonna shine any more...any more...any more..... A fitting epitaph for George Cornell. Ron went back to the widows and told Reg what had happened. They then went to a pub called the Chequers where they got cleaned up and changed their clothes. The news on the radio confirmed that Cornell was dead. Ron couldn't have been happier.

It wasn't long before the Twins were arrested and put on an identification parade. The witnesses couldn't or wouldn't identify them and they had to be released. The killing of George Cornell, for the moment, was put to rest. Son of gangster murdered by Ronnie in the Blind Beggar breaks his silence | Daily Mail Online comments The son of one of Ronnie Kray’s murder victims has hit out at the celebrity the gangster twins still enjoy today, breaking a 50-year silence over the crime. George Cornell was shot dead at the Blind Beggar pub in East London in 1966 when son Billy was just eight years old. Billy, 58, said his father was ‘not the only victim that night’ as the shooting wrecked his family life and forced his sister Rayner to move abroad with her children so they could avoid being associated with their grandfather's death. He said he hates the twins but is more angry at the people who still idolise them thanks to their depictions in film and television.

Scroll down for video Billy Cornell, left, pictured with his father George before he was shot dead by Ronnie Kray in east London George Cornell, pictured, was close to the south London Richardson gang who were rivals of the Krays Ronnie, right, was jailed for life in 1968 over the murder while twin Reggie, left, was imprisoned the same year George had known Ronnie and Reggie Kray since their childhood in Whitechapel and they were even in business together for a time. But he was killed aged 38 while having a drink in the pub with friend Albie Woods only for Ronnie to walk in and shoot him in the head with a Luger pistol. There are different theories as to why the killing took place, but many believe it to be a revenge attack for the death of Richard Hart, a friend of the Krays, the night before. The incident is viewed the beginning of the end of the twins’ brutal hold over east London, with both jailed in 1969 on life sentences, with Reggie imprisoned for the murder of Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie in Stoke Newington.

RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Speaking to the Daily Mirror about the grizzly crime, Billy said: ‘I hate the Krays and anyone who is part of their family – and worse, the people who hero-worship them today as some kind of glamorous Robin Hoods of the East End. They were vicious and evil.’ Billy said he has since avoided films and television shows about the pair because they ‘should be remembered as killers’ and not celebrities. He said he even wanted to attend their funerals and tell the mourners what he thought of the killers but was stopped by his mother. The father-of-one added his father hated Ronnie and refused to be intimidated by the twins. ANATOMY OF A MURDER: HOW FEUD DOOMED GEORGE CORNELL'S LIFE On March 9, 1966, Ronnie Kray walked into the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, east London, and shot George Cornell in the head.

Cornell was a prominent member of the Richardson gang, who were engaged in a feud with the twins and whose actions the night before set in motion the events that would end George's life: March 8, 1966 - Richard Hart, an associate of the Krays, is shot dead out the back of a nightclub in Catford, south east London, which is under the 'protection' of the Richardson gang and their enforcer Frankie Fraser. He was killed after a brawl broke out but it is still unclear if he was shot intentionally. A crime scene photo taken of George Cornell, pictured, shortly after his death at the hands of Ronnie Kray March 9, 1966 - Jimmy Andrews of the Richardson gang was injured in the fight at the club and was taken to Whitechapel Hospital for treatment. George Cornell crosses into Kray territory to visit him at the hospital along with friend Albie Woods. He is later seen walking drunk down Whitechapel Road and entering the Blind Beggar pub, where he is heard insulting the Krays.

At around 8.30pm, Ronnie Kray enters the pub with two associates and walks up to Cornell, who is said to have greeted him by saying 'Look what the cat's dragged in'. Kray then shoots him in the forehead with a Luger pistol. Kray and his friends leave and Cornell is rushed to hospital but pronounced dead at 3.30am. The bullet supposedly passed right through his head. Cornell was shot through the head by Kray with a 9mm Luger in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel A police photograph showing the blood stains on the floor of the east London pub after the killing According to urban legend, his wife Olive then went to the Krays' family home in Bethnal Green and threw a brick through the window. Police surround the pub, where there are blood stains on the floor. Police arrest Ronnie but, despite several eyewitnesses identifying him as the killer, they are forced to release him as no one will testify. May 8, 1968 - Led by Inspector Leonard 'Nipper' Read, Scotland Yard's murder squad arrest both Krays and 15 other members of their gang, based on evidence collected over the past four years.

Ronnie is charged with Cornell's murder while Reggie is charged with killing Jack 'the Hat' McVitie. Witnesses come forward to testify and both are convicted in 1969, and jailed for life. Ronnie spent time in jail at Durham and Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight before being transferred to Broadmoor in Berkshire, where he was eventually certified insane and later died of a heart attack in 1995. Reggie was jailed at Maidstone Prison for eight years before being transferred to Wayland Prison in Norfolk. He was released on compassionate grounds in 2000 suffering from bladder cancer, and died in his sleep in October of that year. Police investigated but were unable to charge Kray for two years after witnesses would not testify Billy said: ‘Ronnie was gay and liked being with young boys and to my dad, who was a gentleman who wouldn’t let anyone swear in front of a woman, in those days that was unacceptable.’ He added he met the Krays in their east London home when he was just four years old and remembers them sitting drinking tea, describing Ronnie as ‘very edgy’ and Reggie as ‘flash’ with a ‘slick way’ about him.

George worked in the Billingsgate fish industry from the age of 12 before running credit rackets at the nearby docks He changed his name from George Myers and went on to marry wife Olive from Camberwell, South London, moving his family into two flats in the area. Billy said his father made his money setting up warehouses, buying goods on credit and then selling them on at cheap prices before ditching the businesses without paying his bills. George then forged ties with the Richardson gang of south London who were rivals of the Krays. It led to tension between George and the brothers, which spilled over at a nightclub in Catford, south London, in March 1966. A confrontation between the Kray and Richardson gangs saw Richard Hart, a friend of the twins, shot dead out the back of the venue.

The elder Cornell was murdered by Ronnie at the Blind Beggar pub after going in for a drink in March 1966 Billy said he avoids the film versions of the Krays' lives, including Legend starring Tom Hardy as the twins, pictured, because he hates how they are 'hero-worshipped' and 'glamourised' today The next day George went into Kray territory to visit a friend in hospital who had been shot, before going into the Blind Beggar for a pint, where he was killed by Ronnie. Urban legend suggests the juke box in the pub was playing Walker Brothers song The Sun Ain’t Going to Shine Anymore, and became stuck on that track after a warning bullet struck the machine. Billy told the Mirror: ‘Dad was drinking and turned as the door opened and saw Ronnie, and said: ‘Look what the cat’s dragged in. Ronnie pulled out a gun and as dad went to get off his stool he shot him in the head.’ He added he had seen his father earlier that night as he had been ‘naughty’ and had been sent to bed with a clip round the ear.

Billy said his father probably knew Ronnie was coming for him but ‘wasn’t afraid of anyone’ and wouldn’t back down from a fight, even if he was outnumbered. The murder scene has been glamourised on film over the years, including most recently in the Tom Hardy-led Legend last year, where George was played by Shane Attwooll. Billy said he was woken that night by his mother answering the phone to hear the news about George’s shooting. According to urban legend Mrs Cornell went to the Kray family home in Bethnal Green and threw a brick through the window, and Billy said she ‘hated them more than anything in the world’. He said the news ‘didn’t really sink in’ and that he was not allowed to attend the funeral but that his father was ‘well-liked and respected’. Ex-market trader Billy has also had his own brushes with the law, being jailed for pick-pocketing several times and serving a 14-month stint at Camp Hill Prison on the Isle of White, right next to Parkhurst Prison where Ronnie was jailed. His sister Rayner Rothery, 50, pleaded guilty in 2011 to money laundering over a cocaine trafficking scheme worth £375million.

Her husband Robert fled police but was caught two years ago and subsequently jailed for 10 years for possessing 3kg of the Class A drug. Mrs Rothery told the Mirror: ‘I guess I’m like my mum and married a villain but you can’t help who you love.’ Their mother died from cancer 20 years ago aged 59, and Billy said she never got over her husband’s death, although he added she pleaded with him not to do anything to Ronnie should he ever see him. TheKrays.co.uk | Stories In Depth | George Cornell George Cornell On the 9th of March 1966, George Cornell was killed in the Blind Beggar public house by Ronnie Kray. It has been said that Ronnie killed him because he called him a big fat poof to his face. If this had been the case then he would have been killed there and then. The fact that he may have uttered these words at all would prove to be just another nail in his coffin. George Cornell had grown up with the Twins in the back streets of the East End so they knew him as well as anyone. They weren't afraid of him but they knew what he was capable of and they were always wary of him.

He was a formidable looking figure, about six foot tall , with a neck like a tree trunk. The man knew no fear, he was aggressive and could handle anything or anyone that got in his way. He has been described as a 'sick sadistic bastard' that loved to inflict pain on his enemies. He once got 3 years for slashing a woman's face. He was a heavy drinker and when he was drunk everyone would stay well clear of him. He moved to South London after meeting a girl from The Elephant and Castle. And it wasn't too long before he teamed up with Charlie and Eddie Richardson, the scrap metal dealers who ruled South London and Mad Frankie Fraser, the enforcer. The Krays were upset that their one time acquaintance had teemed up with their rivals who, as well as the Krays, were fighting for control of gangland London and the West End in particular. There were a number of occasions when the Twins tried to muscle in on the Richardsons but were told by Cornell, in no uncertain terms that there wasn't any room for them in the deals. They seemed to accept this at the time but Ronnie didn't like being spoken down to, especially by Cornell.

This played on Ronnie's mind and when the shooting at Mr Smith's and the Witchdoctor took place, he knew he had to act. It was at Mr Smith's that their cousin Dickie Hart was shot and killed. They blamed Cornell, who they say, was the only one to escape from the scene. A few days later, Cornell and Albie Woods were visiting their friend Jimmy Andrews in hospital who had lost his leg in a shooting. On the way back they stopped for a drink at the Blind Beggar public house in the Whitechapel road. The Twins were having a drink with some of the Firm in the 'Widows' pub in Tapp street. It's real name was the Lion but it was called the 'Widows' because the Landlady's husband had died. Ronnie received a phone call telling him that Cornell was in the Blind Beggar. He told Reg that he was going to do Cornell. Reg said "lets talk about it". But Ronnie didn't want to talk. His mind had been made up long before the phone call. He took Reg's driver, John 'Scotch Jack' Dickson and Ian Barrie, his right hand man.

They jumped in their Ford Cortina and set off for the Beggars. On the way they stopped to pick up some guns. When they arrived at the pub, Dickson waited outside while Ron and Ian Barrie went inside. Cornell and Woods were seated at the bar. When Cornell saw Ron he said, "Well look who's here" in a mocking, sneering sort of way. Ron didn't say a word he just took a 9mm Mauser pistol from his pocket and shot Cornell In the head. Ian Barrie fired some shots into the ceiling. They turned around and walked out as calmly as they had walked in. There was a record playing on the juke box that had been hit by one of the ricocheting bullets. It was called 'The sun ain't gonna shine any more' by the Walker Brothers and it and it kept repeating, "the sun ain't gonna shine any more...any more...any more....." A fitting epitaph for George Cornell. Ron went back to the widows and told Reg what had happened. They then went to a pub called the Chequers where they got cleaned up and changed their clothes. The news on the radio confirmed that Cornell was dead. Ron couldn't have been happier.

It wasn't long before the Twins were arrested and put on an identification parade. The witnesses couldn't or wouldn't identify them and they had to be released. The killing of George Cornell, for the moment, was put to rest.

Question: What was the name of the London pub in which gangster Ronnie Kray murdered Geroge Cornell in March 1966?
Answer: The Blind Beggar