Kray twins

Ronald Kray (24 October 1933 17 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 1933 1 October 2000) were identical twin brothers and gangsters, who were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, England, from the late 1950s to 1967. With their gang, known as the Firm, the Kray twins were involved in murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets, gambling, and assaults. 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. They became celebrities themselves, were photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television. The Kray twins were arrested on 8 May 1968 and convicted in 1969 as a result of the efforts of detectives led by Detective Superintendent Leonard "Nipper" Read. Each was sentenced to life imprisonment. 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. 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). The brothers were identical twins, with Reggie born 10 minutes before Ronnie. Their parents already had a six-year-old son, Charles James (1927–2000). A sister, Violet (born 1929), died in infancy. When the twins were three years old, they contracted diphtheria. The Kray household was dominated by their mother, who remained the most important influence on them during their childhood. Their father, Charles David Kray, was a rag-and-bone man with a fondness for heavy drinking. Kray Sr.'s work led him to live a semi-nomadic lifestyle as he travelled all over southern England looking for junk to sell, and even when he was in London, he was more often seen at the pubs than at home with his family. The Kray twins first attended Wood Close School in Brick Lane, and then Daniel Street School, Bethnal Green.