Reg Kray (1933–2000)

I have a friend who was an 'acquaintance' (in the true sense of the word) with Ron & Reg Kray. She told me these two men were nothing but gentleman in her presence and had great respect & loyalty for family and friends and only punished hardened criminals when they were 'out of line'. If this account from themselves is true (and I have no reason to believe it isn't) then these boys suffered far more than they should have done. It sounds an incredible thing to say about these two men but there is an overwhelming sense of naivety coming through in their story. They trusted people they shouldn't have and genuinely thought that one-time enemies became their friends after a confrontation with them because they'd sorted their differences out and not because they had decided it was best to be on the Krays' good side.

I am surprisingly finding this book very sad in places with more sympathy for them than I would have thought. Although they were undoubted criminals the normal 'man in the street' was never in any danger from them.

I like the way the book is obviously in their own words and it is sometimes odd to read about some of the things they took for granted and thought were 'normal' or acceptable.

Their overwhelming desire was to be free. Whether they would have done what they said and retired quietly in the country remains an unanswerable question. Would they have been left in peace by the public and most of all the media? I very much doubt it.… (mehr)