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 Charlie (left) and Reggie Kray at Ronnie’s funeral – with Steve Wraith in the background |
‘People forget how much the Krays did for charity’
THEIR East End reign ended when they were banged up for life 40 years ago, but the notorious Kray twins’ name still wields power.
Tomorrow (Saturday), glamour girls, hardmen, henchmen, gangsters molls and old rivals will resurrect Finsbury’s past at a glittering celebration of what would have been the late Ronnie and Reggie Kray’s 76th birthday.
The Worship nightclub in Finsbury Square is hosting The Kray Firm Reunion charity event in aid of seven-year-old Taylor Shirley, who is stricken with leukaemia. He is the nephew of former Kray henchman Chris Lambrianou.
They may have been known for their reign of terror but old friend Steve Wraith says the twins’ charitable work is often overlooked.
He said: “We’re trying to raise money for leukaemia research. It sometimes gets lost in the Kray story. They used to raise lots of money in the 1960s.”
Memories of old Kray parties will be evoked with jellied eels, pie and mash, screens showing footage of the brothers, and a singer belting out the Rat Pack greats.
Ronnie remained in prison until his death in 1995, but Reggie was released in 2000 on compassionate grounds a few weeks before his death from cancer.
Mr Wraith became attracted by the glamourous life of the Krays when he was just nine years old. He wrote to them in prison, was later invited to visit them and years on became a trusted business associate.
He said: “I’m not old enough to know them during their reign of terror. Like a lot of the younger generation I was attracted and curious about what they did and read books about them. But the glamour was there. They seemed to have the money, the clubs, the famous friends and a woman on their arm.”
Mr Wraith wrote to Reggie first, but as the years went by, he became a regular visitor.
He said: “I was a young entrepreneur. I put an image of them on a T-shirt and showed it to their supporters. I made them an earner in prison and that’s how I earned their respect.
“They followed the old East End code – they didn’t hurt the normal man in the street, though it doesn’t make it right. I value them as friends. I’m not a criminal or gangster. I’d like to think I’ve taken some positive out of a situation which could have taken me down the wrong road.”
His visits gave a glimpse into the character of the brothers: “Reg was thinking business, it’s all he wanted to talk about. Ron was probably the most pleasant to speak to. He was fun to visit.”
Tomorrow’s party will evoke memories of the Krays’ heyday, with a guest list including old rival Charlie Richardson, Kray associates Jo Pyle and Eric Mason, “Hardman” Roy Shaw and former Miss Great Britain Eileen Sheridan Price.
Mr Wraith said: “These parties used to happen on a regular basis when they were alive. It’s a big event, making money for a worthy cause.
“There’s not many of these characters left. Ronnie once walked into a party with a donkey and gave it away in a raffle. We’re stopping short of that.”
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