Eamon1943
proper brummie kid
No old wounds left to open the past is dead & gone
Memories briefly recalled; a journey I went along
Skirmishes & upheavals the price of paying back
Defensive in my nature, Attack, attack, attack!
To late to change this history, the where I was & when
A different life I lead now ; recalling with my pen!
When I decided to write a little of my life, I thought that it would be the most important thing one can involve oneself in without a selfish thought. In the end, all the beautiful, elegant things in life, the things that I care about, the things that matter, depend on getting it right without embellishment.
Paul Lund / Patsy Manning [Birmingham gangsters
Paul Lund was a Birmingham villain & Soldier of fortune. He spent time in many jails all over the world. Tangier remained his home until he died of TB in 1966. Patsy Manning mentions their adventures in [Crumpet all the way.]Paul rarely missed a Saturday. He used to come into my fathers Bull Ring butchers shop to collect the Sunday roast". Rationing was still in force and deals were rife.
When you consider the man who shot his wife in the head during a "William Tell" party trick, you begin to see the man he was & you didn't ask questions.
William Burroughs [Journalist/Author
Burroughs and Lund met in Tangier in 1955. The city was an international free zone known for its skullduggerous inhabitants and lack of extradition treaties. Lund had arrived with Patsy Manning the year before while on the run from the English police, and soon became established as well known smugglers happy to regale their swashbuckling adventures to journalists who frequented the bar they owned.Their friendship disintegrated when Lund was charged with opium smuggling in 1959. He dodged it by framing Burroughs
Jack Kerouac also wrote of Lund in his novel "Desolate Angels"Rising prosperity meant us as teenagers had more money to spend. The 50s saw the first youth cult, the Teddy Boys. Their outlandish style of dress combined with acts of violence shocked British society. Young people wore the latest fashions & danced to music despised by their parents.
Parachute Regiment 1961/63
We were canoeing around the East Goodwin Lightship on Goodwin Sands when we got into difficulties. It was overcast and windswept. Large waves curled vindictively in on themselves before smashing into us.When the first two man canoe overturned there was mild panic .The security & control had gone; it was now everyone for them selves ! When I got into the shallows I put one foot down and it was like missing a step; a step into an empty elevator shaft. I was exhausted. I lay on my back and let the waves carry me. I had a word with myself: "You either do this or you die I swam hard. Then I swam harder.
1964 / 65
I parked my ice cream van around the corner from the cedar Club & walked into the club to pick up my then girl friend Stephanie who finished work around 2 AM. She said she was staying behind because Eddie had invited her to a Tom Jones celebratory party after his gig there that night. I was a bit miffed so off I went. Later the next day my brother Brendan who worked on The Cedar Club door notified me that Stephanie, her sister & a young waiter from the club had been killed in a car accident. Tommy the Duck had left the Monte Carlo club driving his Jaguar which crashed into the Hillman Imp on Cannings Island killing all three. After leaving the army I began working as a chauffeur for a Scottish businessman in London.
1964 / 65
Chris Lambrianou
I first me Chris Lambrianou an associate of the Kray Twins in 1965.He came up from London to check out the night clubs in Birmingham. There has been many books written on this subject. Perhaps the most infamous spot frequented by the Kray Twins was the Blind Beggar in White chapel. It is better remembered when Ronnie Kray walked in and shot rival gangster George Cornell in front of many witnesses.
Armed with two guns, Ronnie Kray & Ian Barrie entered the Blind Beggar & found George Cornell drinking at the bar. Two or three shots were fired one of them hitting Cornell in the forehead.
Two days later Reg Warner & I went round to a bungalw near White City " on an errand " Ian Barrie aswered the door & in we went.
Ronnie came out of the kitchen followed by two enormous cats & asked if "we'd like a cup of, tea & a piece of toast" ! He was dressed in a gaudy silk dressing gown & showed no indication of what had happened only two days before ! If you ever happen to be passing The Blind Beggar call in & order " A Luger & Lime " The Blind Beggar today is a pleasant enough pub. There a few pictures on the wall of the Twins in the back bar area where the murder took place.
The Regency Club Dalston . A gangland hangout where some of the most notorious criminals in British history socialised & did business together. A brutal world far removed from normal, everyday life - the world of gangster Eric Mason. an associate of the Kray Twins. Eric was one of the underworld's most feared and respected figures & the last man to be flogged with the cat-o-nine-tails.
One afternoon in 1966 we walked into the El Morocco club Gerard Street London . In the gloom I spotted Patsy Manning who I'd known in Birmingham .He was chatting to a leggy blonde. [always a ladies man "] I went over & asked how he was doing one of "the other two" called me over & said Patsy was " out of order and to give him a miss " Some weeks later I bumped into Patsy in the Cedar Club . I asked him what was going on; why the hostility? Apparently Patsy had been given a task. Instead of carrying out the deed; he threw the gun into the canal in Granville Street, and suffered the consequences later.I promised Patsy I would never mention this episode unless he was dead. Sadly he died aged 86 [2017]
George Raft / The Colony Club London 1966
Though the Krays were open about being gangsters Reggie's hero was one of Hollywoods hardest on-screen Mafia bosses George Raft. In 1966 Raft received an offer to work as a host and part owner of a gambling club in London, the Colony Club. While there he had parts in several movies, including a cameo in 1967's James Bond spoof Casino Royale . Mr. Raft joined us at our table reminiscing over his days as a dancer, lothario & actor.Some Like It Hot was one of his favorite roles and is today considered to be one of the greatest film comedies of all time. Ironically he also acted in Oceans 11 with Frank Sinatra as a casino owner! The club was a success. However, after he went to the US for a short holiday he was banned from re-entering London as an "undesirable ".The Mafia specialised in organised Gambling Junkets flying in gamblers from the States to be fleeced in crooked London clubs.
Angelo Bruno was allegedly "the godfather " of Philedelphi. When i met him in The Colony Club he appeared polite good mannered well dressed and unassuming. Shortly after returning to America he was shot to death sitting inside his car .
1966 Scotland Yard had uncovered new evidence of strong arm tactics by underworld gangster's .
Jack Mcvitie who was commonly known as Jack the Hat, was a notorious English criminal . He acted as an enforcer for "The Firm" . I frequented many West End haunts; one in particular was Churchill's a well known cabaret supper club in the West End. One evening we all sat around drinking & enjoying the show when I decided to try on Jack's hat! WOW he shot up & chased me around the tables, hilarious! Jack was very touchy about his lack of hair !
Back in 1970 we lived in Friary Close Handsworth Wood .My brother Brendan lived with Jean Broadhurst " The Steel Queen of Birmingham " and a millionairess .I knew nothing about selling steel but decided why not considering the company car I was using was a new Aston Martin DBS ! Years later I was standing in Malaga airport waiting for our luggage to come off the carousel when a guy next to me asked how I was ? At first I never recognised the person wearing an overcoat and scarf in 80 degrees of heat. It was Jeans younger brother David " Bunter " Broadhurst. He said he had a few weeks to live and wanted to spend his last days at his villa in Mijas .I asked how his sister Jean was , he said they hadn't spoken in years.
In 1972 my wife and I went to see The Godfather movie. I liked the look of Sicily & booked a two week holiday a few days later. Once settled in our hotel in Cefalu we began exploring the island. One night in the hotel bar I got into conversation with a character named Giuseppe Vitali a local vineyard owner who once lived in America.He showed us around places of interest a tourist wouldn't normally see. A year later he & his wife stayed with us in Birmingham for a week .Giuseppe Vitale's boss was Gaetano Badalamenti boss of the commission'' in Sicily.Some years later Giuseppe was convicted & sentenced to 100 years in a maximum security prison in a case called the"The Pizza Connection"
We reserved a table at the Bahamian Club on Paradise Island Bahamas for dinner and a show .I'd spoken to the Maitre D prior and was assured we would have a great table. Everything went perfect until we got the bill ! The week before Frank Sinatra and guests had reserved the same table and to this day I'm sure the club was capitalising on that fact but, who cares, we had a great time.
That same evening my wfe took our children back to our hotel "I retired to the bar " The crowd next to me where quite loud & seemed o be enjoying the evening.Amidst this crowd was a man who seemed louder than most - Orson Welles the well known actor & director.
T be continued .......................
Eamon 1943
Memories briefly recalled; a journey I went along
Skirmishes & upheavals the price of paying back
Defensive in my nature, Attack, attack, attack!
To late to change this history, the where I was & when
A different life I lead now ; recalling with my pen!
When I decided to write a little of my life, I thought that it would be the most important thing one can involve oneself in without a selfish thought. In the end, all the beautiful, elegant things in life, the things that I care about, the things that matter, depend on getting it right without embellishment.
Paul Lund / Patsy Manning [Birmingham gangsters
Paul Lund was a Birmingham villain & Soldier of fortune. He spent time in many jails all over the world. Tangier remained his home until he died of TB in 1966. Patsy Manning mentions their adventures in [Crumpet all the way.]Paul rarely missed a Saturday. He used to come into my fathers Bull Ring butchers shop to collect the Sunday roast". Rationing was still in force and deals were rife.
When you consider the man who shot his wife in the head during a "William Tell" party trick, you begin to see the man he was & you didn't ask questions.
William Burroughs [Journalist/Author
Burroughs and Lund met in Tangier in 1955. The city was an international free zone known for its skullduggerous inhabitants and lack of extradition treaties. Lund had arrived with Patsy Manning the year before while on the run from the English police, and soon became established as well known smugglers happy to regale their swashbuckling adventures to journalists who frequented the bar they owned.Their friendship disintegrated when Lund was charged with opium smuggling in 1959. He dodged it by framing Burroughs
Jack Kerouac also wrote of Lund in his novel "Desolate Angels"Rising prosperity meant us as teenagers had more money to spend. The 50s saw the first youth cult, the Teddy Boys. Their outlandish style of dress combined with acts of violence shocked British society. Young people wore the latest fashions & danced to music despised by their parents.
Parachute Regiment 1961/63
We were canoeing around the East Goodwin Lightship on Goodwin Sands when we got into difficulties. It was overcast and windswept. Large waves curled vindictively in on themselves before smashing into us.When the first two man canoe overturned there was mild panic .The security & control had gone; it was now everyone for them selves ! When I got into the shallows I put one foot down and it was like missing a step; a step into an empty elevator shaft. I was exhausted. I lay on my back and let the waves carry me. I had a word with myself: "You either do this or you die I swam hard. Then I swam harder.
1964 / 65
I parked my ice cream van around the corner from the cedar Club & walked into the club to pick up my then girl friend Stephanie who finished work around 2 AM. She said she was staying behind because Eddie had invited her to a Tom Jones celebratory party after his gig there that night. I was a bit miffed so off I went. Later the next day my brother Brendan who worked on The Cedar Club door notified me that Stephanie, her sister & a young waiter from the club had been killed in a car accident. Tommy the Duck had left the Monte Carlo club driving his Jaguar which crashed into the Hillman Imp on Cannings Island killing all three. After leaving the army I began working as a chauffeur for a Scottish businessman in London.
1964 / 65
Chris Lambrianou
I first me Chris Lambrianou an associate of the Kray Twins in 1965.He came up from London to check out the night clubs in Birmingham. There has been many books written on this subject. Perhaps the most infamous spot frequented by the Kray Twins was the Blind Beggar in White chapel. It is better remembered when Ronnie Kray walked in and shot rival gangster George Cornell in front of many witnesses.
Armed with two guns, Ronnie Kray & Ian Barrie entered the Blind Beggar & found George Cornell drinking at the bar. Two or three shots were fired one of them hitting Cornell in the forehead.
Two days later Reg Warner & I went round to a bungalw near White City " on an errand " Ian Barrie aswered the door & in we went.
Ronnie came out of the kitchen followed by two enormous cats & asked if "we'd like a cup of, tea & a piece of toast" ! He was dressed in a gaudy silk dressing gown & showed no indication of what had happened only two days before ! If you ever happen to be passing The Blind Beggar call in & order " A Luger & Lime " The Blind Beggar today is a pleasant enough pub. There a few pictures on the wall of the Twins in the back bar area where the murder took place.
The Regency Club Dalston . A gangland hangout where some of the most notorious criminals in British history socialised & did business together. A brutal world far removed from normal, everyday life - the world of gangster Eric Mason. an associate of the Kray Twins. Eric was one of the underworld's most feared and respected figures & the last man to be flogged with the cat-o-nine-tails.
One afternoon in 1966 we walked into the El Morocco club Gerard Street London . In the gloom I spotted Patsy Manning who I'd known in Birmingham .He was chatting to a leggy blonde. [always a ladies man "] I went over & asked how he was doing one of "the other two" called me over & said Patsy was " out of order and to give him a miss " Some weeks later I bumped into Patsy in the Cedar Club . I asked him what was going on; why the hostility? Apparently Patsy had been given a task. Instead of carrying out the deed; he threw the gun into the canal in Granville Street, and suffered the consequences later.I promised Patsy I would never mention this episode unless he was dead. Sadly he died aged 86 [2017]
George Raft / The Colony Club London 1966
Though the Krays were open about being gangsters Reggie's hero was one of Hollywoods hardest on-screen Mafia bosses George Raft. In 1966 Raft received an offer to work as a host and part owner of a gambling club in London, the Colony Club. While there he had parts in several movies, including a cameo in 1967's James Bond spoof Casino Royale . Mr. Raft joined us at our table reminiscing over his days as a dancer, lothario & actor.Some Like It Hot was one of his favorite roles and is today considered to be one of the greatest film comedies of all time. Ironically he also acted in Oceans 11 with Frank Sinatra as a casino owner! The club was a success. However, after he went to the US for a short holiday he was banned from re-entering London as an "undesirable ".The Mafia specialised in organised Gambling Junkets flying in gamblers from the States to be fleeced in crooked London clubs.
Angelo Bruno was allegedly "the godfather " of Philedelphi. When i met him in The Colony Club he appeared polite good mannered well dressed and unassuming. Shortly after returning to America he was shot to death sitting inside his car .
1966 Scotland Yard had uncovered new evidence of strong arm tactics by underworld gangster's .
Jack Mcvitie who was commonly known as Jack the Hat, was a notorious English criminal . He acted as an enforcer for "The Firm" . I frequented many West End haunts; one in particular was Churchill's a well known cabaret supper club in the West End. One evening we all sat around drinking & enjoying the show when I decided to try on Jack's hat! WOW he shot up & chased me around the tables, hilarious! Jack was very touchy about his lack of hair !
Back in 1970 we lived in Friary Close Handsworth Wood .My brother Brendan lived with Jean Broadhurst " The Steel Queen of Birmingham " and a millionairess .I knew nothing about selling steel but decided why not considering the company car I was using was a new Aston Martin DBS ! Years later I was standing in Malaga airport waiting for our luggage to come off the carousel when a guy next to me asked how I was ? At first I never recognised the person wearing an overcoat and scarf in 80 degrees of heat. It was Jeans younger brother David " Bunter " Broadhurst. He said he had a few weeks to live and wanted to spend his last days at his villa in Mijas .I asked how his sister Jean was , he said they hadn't spoken in years.
In 1972 my wife and I went to see The Godfather movie. I liked the look of Sicily & booked a two week holiday a few days later. Once settled in our hotel in Cefalu we began exploring the island. One night in the hotel bar I got into conversation with a character named Giuseppe Vitali a local vineyard owner who once lived in America.He showed us around places of interest a tourist wouldn't normally see. A year later he & his wife stayed with us in Birmingham for a week .Giuseppe Vitale's boss was Gaetano Badalamenti boss of the commission'' in Sicily.Some years later Giuseppe was convicted & sentenced to 100 years in a maximum security prison in a case called the"The Pizza Connection"
We reserved a table at the Bahamian Club on Paradise Island Bahamas for dinner and a show .I'd spoken to the Maitre D prior and was assured we would have a great table. Everything went perfect until we got the bill ! The week before Frank Sinatra and guests had reserved the same table and to this day I'm sure the club was capitalising on that fact but, who cares, we had a great time.
That same evening my wfe took our children back to our hotel "I retired to the bar " The crowd next to me where quite loud & seemed o be enjoying the evening.Amidst this crowd was a man who seemed louder than most - Orson Welles the well known actor & director.
T be continued .......................
Eamon 1943
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