The Kray Twins & The Tower
25th August 2026 by | Uncategorized
The Kray twins and the Tower of London — an unexpected chapter in its long history.
In 1952, Ronnie and Reggie Kray were called up for National Service with the Royal Fusiliers, whose regimental depot was based at the Tower.
There was, however, an almost comical moment in their otherwise disastrous military career. Having reported to the Tower for National Service, the twins decided within minutes that Army life was not for them. When a corporal tried to stop them leaving, Ronnie punched him. They then calmly walked home to Bethnal Green to have tea with their mother, Violet, before being arrested the following morning. Only the Kray twins could treat abandoning National Service at the Tower of London as though they had simply tired of a day out and gone home for tea.
Long before they became London’s most notorious gangsters, the Krays had already secured a remarkable place in history — as two of the last prisoners ever held within the Tower of London.
From Tudor traitors to twentieth-century gangsters, the Tower’s walls have witnessed them all.
Did you know about the Kray twins’ Tower connection?
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Gemma
Author & British Historian
Member of The Norfolk Archaeological Trust
www.murderinthetower.london
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