Wild Thing: The True Story of Britain's Rightful Guv'nor

Product Information

Yates was born June 1947 in Sutton, St Helens. As an amateur boxer he trained under George Gilbody Snr. and Herbie Golding. Yates once fought British boxer, Billy Aird, who was the European heavyweight champion, but Yates was disqualified for head-butting Billy. In response, he threw the referee across the ring, earning a ban from boxing. Bernard said: “The first book touches on the Midlands but the second will have 50 or 60 pictures from the region. Bernard O’Mahoney has highlighted key figures from the days of the infamous Kray Twins in the swinging 60s, to the mean streets of modern-day Glasgow. In 2007 Yates released his book Wild Thing: The True Story of Britain's Rightful Guv'nor, written by Lew Yates and bestselling author, Bernard O'Mahoney. It was published by Mainstream Publishing. As the mourners filed out of St Matthew’s Church, Bethnal Green, he turned to the gathered crowds to show them a letter written to him by the fallen Kray.

Dad-of-six Bernard, who lives in Harborne, said: “I don’t really like to blow my own trumpet, but these books are pretty impressive items. These villains, or Faces, as they prefer to be called, have been making headlines for more than 50 years. The pugilist, 45, was friends with some of the sport’s biggest stars including Mike Tyson and Mohammed Ali and now works tirelessly for charity. The author, 51, has written numerous previous books lifting the lid on his own experiences as a gangster during the 1990s ecstasy boom, including Essex Boys which was made into a film.Another Birmingham Face to appear in Bernard’s second book, due out in November, is Brummie Patsy Manning. I don’t mean to glorify or glamorise crime, but there have always been criminals and always will be, so these books serve as an important social record.” And he hopes to convince Birmingham’s own self-styled king of clubs Eddie Fewtrell to pose for the next publication.

Now they have been recorded for history in two new books by a Birmingham author, himself a former feared criminal. But there are many more of our most notorious criminals or hardmen who have gone largely unknown, I wanted to bring them altogether in one place. He added: “Joe appears because he, like many boxers, straddle that world between the accepted and the murky.

Retailers:

It features ‘London’ Chris Lambrianou, who was involved in the infamous attempt by the Krays to muscle in on Birmingham in the 1960s. It said: ‘‘To my dear friend Patsy. I hope all is well with you. You have been a real friend to me and my brothers. God bless you.’’

A few of them like the Krays, or ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser, were so well-known that just the mention of their names could strike fear into whole communities.

In his latest project – simply called Faces – he has convinced former gangsters, criminals or hardmen to pose for an incredible rogues gallery. Author Bernard says ‘Big Joe’ gets a place in the book as he symbolises the cross over between boxing and the shady criminal class. But London Chris, now a kindly looking man of 73, failed to wrestle Birmingham’s bars from the hands of the city’s renowned Fewtrell brothers.