In the 1930s, London streets were occupied in large numbers by gangsters.
There was little known about an all-women crime ring that earned the respect of Soho’s most fearsome bosses.
The Forty Thieves, an London-based gang, had worse exploits than those shown in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders. They posed as wealthy housewives browsing the rails at the UK’s most prestigious clothing stores.
After putting their stolen goods in waiting cars, the women headed back to the grotty slums Waterloo and Elephant and Castle. Their ‘queen’ exchanged their expensive items for a generous weekly income.
The women carried razors wrapped with lace handkerchiefs and were known for violent outbursts. One furore resulted in a woman blinding an officer by stabbing him in his eye with her hatpin.
It was not uncommon for ‘hoisters’ to be paid 100 pounds per week in the 1940s. This was despite them earning ten-to-one men’s average wages.
The most famous queen, Alice Diamond, was the daughter of a docker and renowned for her row of diamond rings that doubled as a knuckle duster. She was chauffeured in a Bentley, and always wore a sable jacket.
The Queen of Thieves, a book by Beezy Marsh, tells her story. It sheds light upon the lives of the girl gang who gained the respect of male criminals due to their violent and lucrative methods.
The Police Gazette captured the mugshots of members of The Forty Thieves before they went to Holloway Prison. These mugshots are known as “putting on the posh”.
Alice Diamond (left), the most famous ‘queen’ was the daughter of a docker. She is known for her row of diamond rings which doubled as a knuckle scrubber. Maggie Hughes, Diamond’s second in command (right), was also known as Babyface for her sweet looks. She used to cheekily shout at the judge when she was sent to jail: “It won’t heal me!” It will only make my worse villain!
The Forty Thieves members worked in department stores, including Selfridges, in teams of three to four during hoisting trips that could be up to three times per week.
Under glamorous outfits, women wore specially-adapted pants with hidden pockets and baggy bloomers with elastic below the knee.
The loot would be hidden in these “hoister’s drawers”, allowing the women to go unnoticed.
Furs were rolled on the hanger then tucked in to the women’s clothing when the assistant was distracted. Meanwhile, jewellery and watches were traded for fakes and hidden under hats.
The gang’s leaders were listed in a secret register that contained criminals. It is now kept by National Archives. This registry was created to help police track down persistent offenders.
The queen, who imposed harsh punishments on the women and enforced strict rules, required that the women be loyal to her leader.
One queen, Diamond, appeared frequently in the media during the first half of the 20th Century. She was once described as a tall, commanding figure with cool demeanour.
Reporters claimed she was 6ft tall, despite police records dating back to 1919 indicating that she was 5ft9in. She said nothing when she was caught by police
Photographs show that women often wore exquisitely designed hats, coats, dresses, in order to fit in. They worked in department stores, including Selfridges, in teams of three to four people during hoisting trips that could be up to three times per week. Pictured: Marble Arch and Oxford Circus in 1920s
Bertha Tappenden (right), a petite shoplifter, stood just over 5ft2in tall. However, she was convicted for inflicting grievous bodily injury on a Lambeth male after kicking down his front doors and attacking him using razors and knives to settle a score. Diamond and Gertrude Scully (left), were also present.
Ms Marsh wrote The Queen of Thieves because she felt it was time to’reappraise London’s Gangland’. ‘It was not just a man’s world, despite the countless column inches still spent poring over the phenomenon that was the Kray Twins,’ she added.
“The other story is about these feisty women, and it is perhaps even more fascinating considering the limited abilities such working-class girls had to earn a decent living.
Gangsters such as ‘Mad Frankie Fraser’, whose sister Eva was part of the gang, spoke with reverence over The Forty Thieves.
When police became aware of the gang’s tactics, they began to branch out and took trips to Southend Brighton Liverpool Manchester.
To avoid detection, they sent the stolen items back home to London or left a suitcase at the station’s left baggage office. They would be collected later.
The thieves’ income allowed them to live as upper-class debutantes thanks to their lifestyle. They bought fur coats and jewellery, and they went to West End nightclubs to dance.
Ms Marsh was told that her grandmother was a member of the gang and she was taught how it was done in 1970s. Her and her friends looked like movie stars when they went to the pub.
“It gave them a better life than they could have ever imagined.” They didn’t feel bad about it, I think. They enjoyed spending money on nice things and dressing up in posh. They were also respected locally, as anyone could buy a nice dress or pair of stockings for a small amount.
Bertha Tappenden was petite shoplifter and stood just over 5ft2in tall. She was convicted for inflicting grievous bodily injury on a Lambeth male after kicking down the front door of the victim and attacking him with razors. Gertrude Scully, a gang girl, and Diamond were also involved in the attack.
Many of the Forty Thieves were well-known for their beauty, shoplifting skills, and their beauty, such as Madeline Partridge or Laura Partridge, whose sister was used by Diamond to sell stolen goods. None of the gang was afraid to use razors on anyone who crossed them.
Many of the Forty Thieves were well-known for their beauty, as well as their shoplifting skills. Madeline Partridge and Laura (pictured left), whose mother was frequently used by Diamond in order to steal stolen goods, are just two examples. None of the gang were afraid of using razors on anyone who crossed them
Some of London’s The Forty Thieves antics made the Peaky Blinders seem like choirboys. Pictured: The female stars of Peaky Blinders, a BBC hit.
Diamond’s second in command Maggie Hughes was nicknamed ‘Babyface,’ because of her sweet looks. She used to cheekily shout at the judge when she was sentenced: ‘It will not cure me! It will only make my worse villain!
Hughes was well-known for her red hair and her love of alcohol. She also had a violent temper. One time, she blinded a policeman when she stabbed him in the eye using a hatpin.
Peaky Blinders, an award-winning TV show, was inspired by the all-male Brummagem Boys gang from that period. However the Forty Thieves make some of their escapades seem tame in comparison.
Eva Fraser was highly respected by the Kray twins, violent thugs. She played a key role in the gang during the 1940s and 1950s. Billy Hill, brother to the fiery Ms Hughes, was careful not to intrude too much on their territory as he respected their right and freedom to make their own money.
Ms Marsh stated that these women fought harder than men and were respected by their communities. Even Frankie Fraser the gangster, whose sister Eva was a leader in the gang in the forties and thirties, had great respect for Alice Diamond.
“In fact, she was one the first to notice his talent for stealing after he seized a cigarette machine from an hotel as a small child. She helped him make a profit from his loot.
‘I spoke to relatives of some of my gang members during my research on Queen of Thieves and was struck at how secretive the gang was about its methods and how appealing it was for working-class girls.
‘It was subversive for them to steal luxury items and furs from the class system. But that is exactly what happened.
“I felt it was time to tell their story and it inspired me to write my novel. It is the first in a planned trilogy about Orion about the gang that spans from the 1920s through the 1950s.
Queen of Thieves, by author and journalist Beezy Marsh (published by Orion, November 4 2021, £8.99)