Although the pair reported to the depot of the Royal Fusiliers at the Tower of London, they attempted to leave after only a few minutes. The Krays were called up to do National Service in the British Army in March 1952. Sibling rivalry spurred them on, and both achieved some success. The influence of their maternal grandfather, Jimmy 'Cannonball' Lee, caused the brothers to take up amateur boxing, then a popular pastime for working-class boys in the East End.

We used to go to a big 'ill called Constitution Hill and used to go sledging there in the winter-time.' What appealed to the twins was the 'quietness, the peacefulness of it, the fresh air, nice scenery, nice countryside – different from London. When the twins were interviewed in 1989 while at Broadmoor Hospital, Ronnie described Hadleigh as their first time in the countryside. While they were in Hadleigh, the twins attended Bridge Street Boys' School. They stayed at East House with the owners Dr and Mrs Style for about one year before moving back to London, as Violet missed her friends and family. In 1938 the family moved from Stean Street in Haggerston to 178 Vallance Road in Bethnal Green.ĭuring the Second World War, the twins were evacuated to East House in Hadleigh, Suffolk, with their mother Violet and their older brother Charles. The Kray twins first attended Wood Close School in Brick Lane, and then Daniel Street School. When the twins were three years old, they contracted diphtheria. A sister, Violet (born 1929), died in infancy. Their parents already had a six-year-old son, Charles James (1927–2000). The brothers were identical twins, with Reggie born 10 minutes before Ronnie. Their father was of Irish descent and their mother was Romani. Ronald and Reginald Kray were born on 24 October 1933 in Haggerston, East London, to Charles David Kray (1907–1983), a wardrobe dealer, and Violet Annie Lee (1909–1982).

Ronnie was committed to Broadmoor Hospital in 1979 and remained there until his death on 17 March 1995 from a heart attack Reggie was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, five weeks before he died of bladder cancer. The Krays were arrested on and convicted in 1969 as a result of the efforts of detectives led by Detective Superintendent Leonard 'Nipper' Read. They became celebrities themselves, were photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television. In the 1960s, as West End nightclub owners, the Kray twins mixed with politicians and prominent entertainers such as Diana Dors, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. With their gang, known as the Firm, the Krays were involved in murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets and assaults. Ronald ' Ronnie' Kray (24 October 1933 – 17 March 1995) and Reginald ' Reggie' Kray (24 October 1933 – 1 October 2000), identical twin brothers, were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, England, from the late 1950s to 1967.

Al cooper blood sweat and tears songs