Karen Kilgariff

Even in the most desperate times, as London is bombed and the family is evacuated and money runs low, she somehow shields her children from the serious difficulties of everyday life. During World War II.

Even in the most desperate times, as London is bombed and the family is evacuated and money runs low, she somehow shields her children from the serious difficulties of everyday life. During World War II.

Reggie will later say, quote, Hmm. And the Cray twins are right little bastards from the start. So this is a quote from the Cray's walking tour information page on the website London Walks, which is walks.com. They nailed that one. They must have got it early. Quote,

Reggie will later say, quote, Hmm. And the Cray twins are right little bastards from the start. So this is a quote from the Cray's walking tour information page on the website London Walks, which is walks.com. They nailed that one. They must have got it early. Quote,

Quote within quote, if you came from the East End and you wanted out, there were only three things you could become a boxer, a car thief or maybe a musician. Wow. End quote. To give you a little perspective of what it was like there. Luckily, Reggie and Ronnie got into a lot of fights with neighborhood kids. And so as expected, as they enter their late teens, they also get into boxing.

Quote within quote, if you came from the East End and you wanted out, there were only three things you could become a boxer, a car thief or maybe a musician. Wow. End quote. To give you a little perspective of what it was like there. Luckily, Reggie and Ronnie got into a lot of fights with neighborhood kids. And so as expected, as they enter their late teens, they also get into boxing.

Both their father and grandfather were boxers. And their older brother, Charles Jr., is the one who actually teaches them the ropes. So he is, too. For a while, boxing seems like a promising career path for them both, especially Reggie, who was said to be an exceptional athlete and very meticulous and thoughtful in the ring. Ronnie, on the other hand, is more brutal and unpredictable.

Both their father and grandfather were boxers. And their older brother, Charles Jr., is the one who actually teaches them the ropes. So he is, too. For a while, boxing seems like a promising career path for them both, especially Reggie, who was said to be an exceptional athlete and very meticulous and thoughtful in the ring. Ronnie, on the other hand, is more brutal and unpredictable.

And these two boxing styles actually end up mirroring how people will describe the Kray's personalities, Reggie being the brains, Ronnie being the muscle. Yeah. So that said, both brothers are talented enough to participate in local youth championships, and their fights even get some press attention in the London newspapers. They actually even fight each other a couple times.

And these two boxing styles actually end up mirroring how people will describe the Kray's personalities, Reggie being the brains, Ronnie being the muscle. Yeah. So that said, both brothers are talented enough to participate in local youth championships, and their fights even get some press attention in the London newspapers. They actually even fight each other a couple times.

Ooh, that's kind of a... Twins boxing each other.

Ooh, that's kind of a... Twins boxing each other.

Yeah, like a... Come fucking see these guys who look exactly the same. Yeah, fun little human interest moment. Beat the shit out of each other. They do it anyway at home. Then in 1952, the Krays get drafted into the army, but things spiral almost immediately. When they show up at the reporting station, they refuse to cooperate, punch a corporal, and end up fleeing. You can't do that.

Yeah, like a... Come fucking see these guys who look exactly the same. Yeah, fun little human interest moment. Beat the shit out of each other. They do it anyway at home. Then in 1952, the Krays get drafted into the army, but things spiral almost immediately. When they show up at the reporting station, they refuse to cooperate, punch a corporal, and end up fleeing. You can't do that.

No, you can't. No. So just as her father had done throughout their childhoods, the brothers spend much of the next two years AWOL from the army or getting arrested and serving short stints in military prisons. As they do, they meet countless other men with criminal records, and these relationships spark the twins' interest in criminal activities and the promise of easy money.

No, you can't. No. So just as her father had done throughout their childhoods, the brothers spend much of the next two years AWOL from the army or getting arrested and serving short stints in military prisons. As they do, they meet countless other men with criminal records, and these relationships spark the twins' interest in criminal activities and the promise of easy money.

In 1954, when both boys are 21, they finally serve all their time and are dishonorably discharged from the military. At this point, Ronnie and Reggie's lives have completely changed. Their criminal records effectively bar them from the legitimate boxing world, so their one career path is now entirely cut off. And it's around this time Ronnie starts to struggle with his mental health.

In 1954, when both boys are 21, they finally serve all their time and are dishonorably discharged from the military. At this point, Ronnie and Reggie's lives have completely changed. Their criminal records effectively bar them from the legitimate boxing world, so their one career path is now entirely cut off. And it's around this time Ronnie starts to struggle with his mental health.

This is a big part of the movie, the legend movie, which is that these weren't just like kind of bloodthirsty, you know, sociopathic gangsters. Reggie was kind of a businessman. He was very strategic about what they were trying to do. Ronnie was schizophrenic. He was a paranoid schizophrenic. Oh, wow. He didn't know it, and he was dealing with the kind of effects of that.

This is a big part of the movie, the legend movie, which is that these weren't just like kind of bloodthirsty, you know, sociopathic gangsters. Reggie was kind of a businessman. He was very strategic about what they were trying to do. Ronnie was schizophrenic. He was a paranoid schizophrenic. Oh, wow. He didn't know it, and he was dealing with the kind of effects of that.