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Running with the Krays: My Life in London's Gangland
Book by Webb, Billy
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 7, 2020
A trip down the rabbit hole. Billy Webb was another London bad boy of the 1950s and 1960s who wrote a book about knowing the Krays. What makes this book so notable was Webb's confused relationship with the Krays. He is clear in his loathing of the brothers, so his long-term relationship is....odd. It is clear that a lot is left out, or possibly made up.
Like Mad Frank Frazar, Carlton Leach, Steven Tully, and other criminals of London's underworld, the book is partly about proving underworld credentials, posting grudges, and making money off the fame of other gangsters. In general, I am more convinced of the toughness of the British gangsters as opposed to their American counterparts. I think even a relatively obscure hoodlum like Billy Webb would beat the crap out of Sammy the Bull or John Gotti. Webb's credentials are convincing. He was a tough guy. He looks like a tough guy.
Until I read this book, I never heard of Billy Webb. I have read a number of books on London's gangland, so Webb's claim that he ran a gang that competed with the Krays seems dubious. As he describes his activities, it becomes more difficult to accept. He is vague on his protection racket, which he goes to pains to show how it was different from the Krays' protection racket. Otherwise, they are conning gamblers at race tracks or street corners(?). Yeah, a gang chief who sees himself as a Kray rival, brags at nausea about how much fun they had cheating people on a street carnival game. Something does not sound right.
More troublesome is Webb's vague association with the Krays. He spent a lot of time with the brothers if we was not part of their gang. They spent a lot of time with him if he was not part of their gang. I would probably argue that, at most, Webb managed a franchise of the Kray firm. More likely he was a drifter with some friends associated with the Krays. The main sources are....him. It all comes down to whether the reader believes him. He rarely appears in the other books.
He has a grudge against the Krays for a beating that he blames led to his brother's slow death. His hatred of Ronnie Kray is abundantly clear. His constant belittling of Ronnie's homosexuality is portrayed time and again as predatory or possibly blackmailing. Yet, they kept crossing paths. The Krays, according to Webb, appeared to have trusted him time and again. If we believe Webb, the Krays partially anointed him their successor. Strange. Finally, there is the bizarre relationship between Webb's daughter and Reggie Kray. For some reason, Webb assisted Reggie Kray in meeting and befriending his daughter nearly 30 years longer than Kray. For someone who allegedly hated the Krays so much, these pieces do not add up.
Overall, a quick and entertaining read. It is difficult to sympathize with Webb. Like so many he boasts of his villainy. He admittedly cheated the Krays....something he tries to rationalize, but understands that was behind the beating he received. A lot of the story is missing for reasons only known to Webb and of course the Krays. This is probably the most biased book I have seen written against the Krays. Webb says his intention is to balance the literature; but he is clearly making a buck off their notoriety.
Like Mad Frank Frazar, Carlton Leach, Steven Tully, and other criminals of London's underworld, the book is partly about proving underworld credentials, posting grudges, and making money off the fame of other gangsters. In general, I am more convinced of the toughness of the British gangsters as opposed to their American counterparts. I think even a relatively obscure hoodlum like Billy Webb would beat the crap out of Sammy the Bull or John Gotti. Webb's credentials are convincing. He was a tough guy. He looks like a tough guy.
Until I read this book, I never heard of Billy Webb. I have read a number of books on London's gangland, so Webb's claim that he ran a gang that competed with the Krays seems dubious. As he describes his activities, it becomes more difficult to accept. He is vague on his protection racket, which he goes to pains to show how it was different from the Krays' protection racket. Otherwise, they are conning gamblers at race tracks or street corners(?). Yeah, a gang chief who sees himself as a Kray rival, brags at nausea about how much fun they had cheating people on a street carnival game. Something does not sound right.
More troublesome is Webb's vague association with the Krays. He spent a lot of time with the brothers if we was not part of their gang. They spent a lot of time with him if he was not part of their gang. I would probably argue that, at most, Webb managed a franchise of the Kray firm. More likely he was a drifter with some friends associated with the Krays. The main sources are....him. It all comes down to whether the reader believes him. He rarely appears in the other books.
He has a grudge against the Krays for a beating that he blames led to his brother's slow death. His hatred of Ronnie Kray is abundantly clear. His constant belittling of Ronnie's homosexuality is portrayed time and again as predatory or possibly blackmailing. Yet, they kept crossing paths. The Krays, according to Webb, appeared to have trusted him time and again. If we believe Webb, the Krays partially anointed him their successor. Strange. Finally, there is the bizarre relationship between Webb's daughter and Reggie Kray. For some reason, Webb assisted Reggie Kray in meeting and befriending his daughter nearly 30 years longer than Kray. For someone who allegedly hated the Krays so much, these pieces do not add up.
Overall, a quick and entertaining read. It is difficult to sympathize with Webb. Like so many he boasts of his villainy. He admittedly cheated the Krays....something he tries to rationalize, but understands that was behind the beating he received. A lot of the story is missing for reasons only known to Webb and of course the Krays. This is probably the most biased book I have seen written against the Krays. Webb says his intention is to balance the literature; but he is clearly making a buck off their notoriety.
March 19, 2013
Meh... pretty boring.
Rather uninventive grifts.
An army drop-out who knew the Krays.
His writing is... not very creative, to say the least.
I've met more interesting people, with better life stories, at bus stops.
Rather uninventive grifts.
An army drop-out who knew the Krays.
His writing is... not very creative, to say the least.
I've met more interesting people, with better life stories, at bus stops.
May 15, 2021
A word of warning...although the Krays are mentioned in the book title, this isn't really a book about them. They are mentioned in the book itself, but only occasionally. This book was one of the first true crime books that I ever read, but it was also one of the first to be written by an ex-gangster trying to make some money by using the Krays' name to sell a book. This has been done quite a few times since then by other old, former East End villains. I hated this book back then and I still hate it now.
As I mentioned, if you are looking for a good book about the Krays, this isn't it. Instead, this is a very biased book that is full of hatred towards the Krays, Ronnie in particular and the author constantly slags them off. Some may say that he is justified in his opinions, but I am not so sure. Clearly, Billy Webb had an axe to grind and he used this book as a means to do that. That is one of the main reasons why I don't like this book. I also don't like it because of its misleading title and the fact that it is NOT a book about the Krays.
It's interesting to note that Freddie Foreman's latest book was published in paperback a few years ago and it was given the same title as this book. So, please don't make the mistake of thinking that it's the same book. I cannot recommend this at all. It's probably one of the most hate-filled pieces of literature that I have ever read.
As I mentioned, if you are looking for a good book about the Krays, this isn't it. Instead, this is a very biased book that is full of hatred towards the Krays, Ronnie in particular and the author constantly slags them off. Some may say that he is justified in his opinions, but I am not so sure. Clearly, Billy Webb had an axe to grind and he used this book as a means to do that. That is one of the main reasons why I don't like this book. I also don't like it because of its misleading title and the fact that it is NOT a book about the Krays.
It's interesting to note that Freddie Foreman's latest book was published in paperback a few years ago and it was given the same title as this book. So, please don't make the mistake of thinking that it's the same book. I cannot recommend this at all. It's probably one of the most hate-filled pieces of literature that I have ever read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews