Fraser Frankie - Londons Gangs at War

L ONDON S G ANGS AT W AR

DICK KIRBY

has also written

Rough Justice

Memoirs of a Flying Squad officer

The Real Sweeney

Youre Nicked!

Villains

The Guvnors

Ten of Scotland Yards Greatest Detectives

The Sweeney

The First Sixty Years of Scotland Yards Crimebusting

Flying Squad 19191978

Scotland Yards Ghost Squad

The Secret Weapon Against Post-War Crime

The Brave Blue Line

100 Years of Metropolitan Police Gallantry

Death on the Beat

Police Officers killed in the Line of Duty

The Scourge of Soho

The Controversial Career of SAS Hero

Detective Sergeant Harry Challenor MM

Whitechapels Sherlock Holmes

The Casebook of Fred Wensley OBE, KPM,

Victorian Crimebuster

The Wrong Man

The Shooting of Steven Waldorf and

the Hunt for David Martin

Laid Bare

The Nude Murders and

the Hunt for Jack the Stripper

Praise for Dick Kirbys Books

Rough Justice ... the continuing increase in violent crime will make many readers yearn for yesteryear and officers of Dick Kirbys calibre.

Police Magazine

The Real Sweeney His reflections on the political aspect of law enforcement will ring true for cops, everywhere.

American Police Beat

Villains This is magic. The artfulness of these anti-heroes has you pining for the bad old days.

Daily Sport

Youre Nicked! A great read with fascinating stories and amusing anecdotes from a man who experienced it all.

Suffolk Norfolk Life

The Guvnors They were heroes at times when heroes were desperately needed.

American Police Beat

The Sweeney ... thoroughly researched and enjoyable history, crammed with vivid descriptions of long-forgotten police operations... races along like an Invicta at full throttle.

Daily Express

Scotland Yards Ghost Squad Dick Kirby... knows how to bring his coppers to life on each page.

Joseph Wambaugh, Author of The Choirboys

The Brave Blue Line ... simply the best book about police gallantry ever written.

History By the Yard

Death on the Beat I am delighted Dick Kirby has written this book.

Michael Winner

The Scourge of Soho Dick Kirby has chosen his fascinating subject well.

Law Society Gazette

Whitechapels Sherlock Holmes Dick Kirby has done an excellent job.

The Ripperologist

The Wrong Man Dick Kirby gives us the gritty reality of this subject. I did not put this book down, reading it in one day, deep into the night.

Paul Millen, Author Of Crime Scene Investigator

Laid Bare ... Dick lays out the evidence and challenges you to come to a conclusion regarding the culpability or otherwise of the suspects... he holds our hand in search of the answers to this mystery.

London Police Pensioner

To my friend, Brigadier Henry Wilson:

I hope theres sufficient blood, snot and guts in here to appease you!

And to Ann all the way to the moon, and back.

DICK KIRBY

With a foreword by Lord (Peter) Imbert CVO, QPM, DL Commissioner, Metropolitan Police 198793

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by

Pen & Sword True Crime

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright Dick Kirby, 2017

ISBN 978-1-47389-476-1

eISBN 978-1-47389-478-5

Mobi ISBN 978-1-47389-477-8

The right of Dick Kirby to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the Imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Family History, Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military, Pen & Sword Discovery, Pen & Sword Politics, Pen & Sword Atlas, Pen & Sword Archaeology, Wharncliffe Local History, Wharncliffe True Crime, Wharncliffe Transport, Pen & Sword Select, Pen & Sword Military Classics, Leo Cooper, The Praetorian Press, Claymore Press, Remember When, Seaforth Publishing and Frontline Publishing.

For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact

PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED

47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS,

England

E-mail:

Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

A quatrain from Kurt Weill, Elizabeth Hauptman & Bertolt Brechts Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera)

For in this life (I wish there was another),

Victuals are scarce and men are such brutes, you know.

Wed love to live in peace and worship one another,

But circumstances just wont have it so.

F irstly, my thanks go to Brigadier Henry Wilson for his enthusiasm and assistance; next, to Lord Imbert for his splendid foreword and George Chamier for his superb editing.

I should also like to thank the following for their administrative assistance: Bob Fenton QGM, honorary secretary to the Ex-CID Officers Association; Susi Rogol, editor of the London Police Pensioner ; Beverley Edwards, Chairman of the Metropolitan Women Police Association; Mick Carter from The ReCIDivists Luncheon Club; Barry Walsh from the Friends of the Metropolitan Police Historical Collection; Martin Stallion, secretary of the Police History Society; Paul Bickley, Curator of The Crime Museum, New Scotland Yard; and Alan Moss of History by the Yard .

I received a great deal of help from people who delved into their memories for the compilation of this book. Some wished to remain anonymous; others were not so shy and they appear here in alphabetical order: John Barnes, Richard Dickie Bird, Mike Bucknole FNAVA, BA (Hons), PgC, Peter Burgess, Janet Cheal, Pat Collins, Jack Cooper, Dave Coppen, Ron Cork, Roger Crowhurst, Jeff Edwards, John Farley QPM, Dr Ken German, Martin Gosling MBE, Bob Hancock, Tom Hassell, Doug Hoadley, Graham Howard, George Howlett OBE, OStJ, QPM, Robin Jackson, John Lewis, Alick Morrison, Tony Osborn, Hugh Parker, Arthur Porter BEM, Pat Pryde, Dave Puntan, Kenneth David Taff Rees, John Simmonds, Roger Stoodley, George Taylor, John Taylor, Bernard Tighe, Max Vernon, Mike Warburton, Ed Williams, Layton Williams, the late Bill Waite BEM, Keith White, Bryan Woolnough. My thanks for the use of photos go to Alick Morrison, Bernard Tighe and Ken German; others come from the authors collection. Whilst every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, Pen & Sword Books and I apologise for any inadvertent omissions.

There were some who could have provided pertinent information but for reasons best known to themselves chose not to do so. Bereft of their input, I have endeavoured to ensure that the content of this book is as accurate as possible and acknowledge that any faults or imperfections are mine alone.

By now I should have mastered the mysteries of cyberspace but due to a misspent old age I have neglected to do so. Fortunately, my daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Steve Cowper, have been on hand to rescue me, often from the most mundane of computer-generated cock-ups, and I am very grateful to them.

To them, and to the rest of my family, I pay tribute for their unfailing help, love and assistance: to my sons, Mark and Robert, my youngest daughter and her husband, Barbara and Rich Jerreat, and my grandchildren, Emma Cowper B.Mus, Jessica Cowper B.Mus, Harry Cowper, Samuel and Annie Grace Jerreat.