On the 9th of March 1966 Ronnie Kray walked into the Blind Begger Pub in Whitechapel, East London pointed a pistol at George Cornell's head and pulled the trigger.
Reggie Kray and Ronnie Kray in the foreground taken in 1965 by photographer David Bailey.
I gave this iconic photo above a 60's Andy Warhol vibe.
He [Ronnie] went to the Blind Beggar with his driver, "Scotch Jack" John Dickson, and his assistant, Ian Barrie. Ronnie entered the pub with Barrie, walked straight to Cornell and shot him in the head in public view. Barrie, confused by what happened, fired five shots in the air warning onlookers not to report what had happened to police. Cornell died at 3:30 a.m. in hospital.
The Blind Begger Pub
The Kray twins were one of several gangs in this part of London and these gangs were often killing and injuring each other.
Motives for the murder of George Cornell vary. Some people think that Cornell was killed in revenge for the murder of one of the Krays associates the previous day.
Other's think it was because Cornell was badmouthing the twins and reportedly called Ronnie a "fat poof".
Ronnie had never hidden his sexual preferences and was often seen with younger men. He also had relationships with women and got married several times.
My opinion is that it was about being called fat. Ronnie had been a boxer in his younger days and by 1965 he was carrying a lot of weight.
One thing that malignant narcissists cannot stand is their ego being attacked.
Calling Ronnie fat would conflict with his fictional view of himself secondly in the criminal world Cornell's comments would be seen as disrespectful of the power structure which in those circles is deadly.
Ronnie was convicted of the murder and spent the rest of his life in Broadmoor maximum security hospital for the insane. He was diagnosed as a psychopath.
Ronnie admitted that he still relived the murder decades after the event stating that it was the greatest day of his life.
The Kray twins were suspected of many more murders but were only convicted on two.
Reggie Kray was convicted of the murder of Jack "The Hat" McVitie in 1967. A savage killing when Reggie's gun failed to fire. Reggie stabbed McVitie numerous times until he died.
In today's world Ronnie probably would be treated as a malignant narcissist. Which is a relatively new disorder. He would have still been locked up for life as incurable.
The Krays became the talk of the town and used the media to burnish their public image.
They would often be photographed with movie stars and celebrities and had many supporters in the Conservative government. Notably Conservative Peer Lord Boothby who was a known homosexual and had had an affair with Ronnie.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK with the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 for men over 21 in England
Although the law was changed in 1967 it stll has a stigma attached to it. Many men are still reluctant to express themselves and often marry and have kids to hide their sexual preferences often to the detriment of the wife and kids.
The Krays portrayed themselves as self made business men and gentlemen. They acted like charitable people when in reality they were brutal sadistic killer's and extortionists.
They owned many businesses including snooker halls and nightclubs but their real wealth came from running protection rackets and money laundering.
A protection racket is quite simple. You paid the Krays to protect you from the Krays. If you didn't pay up you got hurt, burnt out or worse.
Small businesses including Bakers shops were often extorted. No business was safe.
The Krays were hated by other criminals because if a criminal robbed something or someone. The Krays would demand their cut of the robbery.
If you didn't pay up promptly you would get a visit from "the firm" (as they called themselves) and probably get a good kicking for making them come to collect.
The American Mafia
During the 1960s, the Kray twins formed an alliance with the Commission, the governing body of the American Mafia. The brothers were in contact with Meyer Lansky and Angelo Bruno, two U.S. gangsters who were looking to invest in London's nightclubs and casinos to engage in money laundering.
Similar establishments in Havana had long served that purpose, but after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 led to their closure, the Mafia considered London as an alternative.
The belief that the Krays were able to influence the British government by blackmailing political figures such as Boothby made them attractive as prospective partners.
The Mafia were not happy with the public killing of George Cornell and felt that Ronnie should have had one of their underlings carry out the murder in a less public setting.
The Kray twins are still held in some esteem by some people. Usually people that never knew them. They have had numerous books and movies made about their lives and have become mythical figures.
What is true is that they were real and very dangerous people.
The Blind Begger Pub has a long history dating back to the 16th century. The current pub where the murder took place was built in 1894 on the site of a much older pub which got it's name from a prince who fell on hard times and would stand nearby begging. He had been blinded in a sword fight.
If you would like to know more about the pub take a look at this
It's now a tourist attraction!?
All images and text are mine unless indicated appropriately.
