Arthur Thompson, known as the Godfather in the city, formed the gang and began his career as a money lender in a council estate. He has since been jailed for involvement in a firearms conspiracy. A month later Norval sought Gibson out in a pub and stabbed him eight times before going on the run. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to As a result the takeover never took place. Counts may not reflect the number of records that will appear in search results. Even when his own son was murdered outside his front door, he ordered his family not to give them statements or tell what they had seen. As a result the takeover never took place. [10] On the day of Thompson Jr's funeral a car was found containing the bodies of two friends of Ferris, Robert Glover and Joe Hanlon, who were also suspected of involvement in his death and had been killed by gunshots to the back of the head and the anus. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Rita Thompson (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), who passed away at the age of 64, on August 18, 2021. With Fatboy in prison, Old Arthur had to return before his rivals picked his empire apart. Pensioner dies at Glasgow hospital a month after fatal city centre crash. The Godfather was able to use his prison contacts to have steaks, alcohol and chocolate delivered to him each day in his cell. Results will return exact matches only.Any images with overlay of text may not produce accurate results.Details of larger images will search for their corresponding detail. The young Detective Constable got out of his own car and ran to a nearby petrol station to phone the emergency services, where he also found Thompson who then sped off. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. In later life he even adopted some of the late US mobster's sartorial taste in pinstripes. His grandchildren and great grandchildren have to remain anonymous for the safety of the family. However, despite the murder of his son, the Godfather wasn't quite finished yet. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Fairbairn was a ferocious right-winger who had married into the Scottish aristocracy, later became Solicitor-General appointed by Margaret Thatcher and died of cirrhosis of the liver. She had lived in the same house in Provanmill since Mr Thompson died of a heart attack in 1993. Terms of use | contact the editor here. Friends of Thompson say he was never the same after young Arthurs death. Ferris, then 28, was found not guilty in June 1992 at the High Court in Glasgow after the longest-running murder trial in Scottish legal history. In 1966, he narrowly escaped death when a bomb exploded under his car; his mother-in-law, in the passenger seat, was killed. The Godfather was reportedly able to use his prison contacts to have steaks, alcohol and chocolate delivered to him each day in his cell. By the Eighties, the Thompson clan had moved into the drug trade led by the Thompsons' eldest son, Arthur Jnr, known as Fat Boy, who operated out of Blackpool. 74 members of the sect were arrested. Brian Lundie, 41, is missing from the Baillieston area of Glasgow with officers issuing an urgent reappeal to find him, saying his disappearance is "very much out of character". THE widow of Arthur Thompson, the former Glasgow godfather, has died. Glasgow shop owner 'in tears' after store weeks away from opening hit by devastating blaze. Rita Thompson, who had throat cancer, died in 2006 at the age of 72. Its rumoured Thompson was present when Ronnie infamously shot George Cornell of the rival Richardson gang in Londons Blind Beggar pub in 1966. A few hours before Fat Boy's funeral, the bodies of local hardmen Bobby Glover and Joe 'Bananas' Hanlon, widely thought to be responsible for Fat Boy's death, were found outside a bar in east Glasgow. A sniper waited for him after he had been chased through Glasgow by another hitman. Rita M. Glasgow, 89, of Galena, died Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at Galena Stauss Senior Care Community, Galena surrounded by her family. Richard Thompson, live Glasgow Scotland October 1999, recorded by me from Digital broadcast. Overall, around 100 people died in the violence. Billy Thompson has now been taken off the critical list and looks set to make a full recovery. However, Thompson said the pairs reputation would damage the bands career. When they arrived in Los Angeles, they encountered an established system of Latin gangs and were not welcome. By the 1980s, Glasgow was in the midst of a heroin epidemic as the drug flooded into the city in a market worth up to 30 million. He gave evidence against the man accused of his sons murder, Paul Ferris, in 1992 at the High Court in Glasgow. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Rita M. Glasgow of Galena, Illinois, who passed away on February 22, 2023, leaving to mourn family and friends. Single Use in context. His coffin was carried by members of a biker club, his six daughters and a granddaughter all wore matching red outfits and music from the Clash blared out as the retinue made its way into the crematorium. Arthur also enjoyed hobnobbing with celebrities. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson, known as The Godfather, pictured with his wife Rita Thompson.Circa 1970. The goal was to protect Kikuyu farmers in their land disputes with the Maasai and local government forces dominated by the Kalenjin tribe. For webmasters |, COPYRIGHT 2006 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. [5], His other son, Billy, was stabbed and seriously wounded 400 yards (350 metres) from the family home[8] in 2000, but survived. Comments have been closed on this article. Arthur suspected that two men from the rival Welsh clan, Patrick Welsh and James Goldie, had planted the bomb. The recent stabbing of a gangland godfather's son has reignited the battle for control of a 300m drugs market. His father and younger brother Billy alerted by the shots found him dying on the pavement. He forced their van off the road by driving his own car directly at it the van hit a lamp post and both men were killed. No one man had dominated organised crime in the city quite like Arthur Thompson and no one man ever would. Rita Thompson Obituary (1957 - 2021) | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Echovita We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The battle for Glasgow's underworld is being further complicated by the arrival of a new clan of Triad gangsters attempting to take over the drug trade. The documents cover the period from 1967 to 1969, when Thompson was in his late 30s and paint a picture of the criminal kingpin as a devious man used to getting his own way. At eight he was nicking potatoes from shops and coal briquettes (blocks of compacted coal dust for younger readers) from coal lorries, which he then sold on. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Copyright 2023 Farlex, Inc. | How Rita Ora and Dua Lipa have mirrored each other over . It was common for Arthur to crucify his victims by nailing their hands and feet to furniture. In 1988 Arthur was shot in the groin outside The Ponderosa. Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson with his wife Rita Thompson, c.1970 (b Gangsters usually have elaborate and colourful funerals and Walter Norval's was no different. His own death almost 30 years ago marked the end of an astonishing era in the history of the city's underworld. Search the Bridgeman archive by uploading an image. The driver also failed a roadside drug wipe for cannabis. He was a very violent, ruthless, clever criminal and a real nasty piece of work. However, Rita never sang a note. Rita Thompson Obituary. Tributes have been paid to Rita Rusk, once dubbed Scotland's first lady of hairdressing, after her death at the age of 75. Search 2009 Obituaries | Legacy.com We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. We identified 2 records related to "Rita Thompson" in the state of Kentucky. But the damage to his family's already tattered reputation, not to mention the violent implications for Glasgow's underworld, look set to last for some time to come. Rita Thompson Profiles | Facebook Both men were bitter rivals of Thompson. [11][12][13], Thompson died at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 13 March 1993 from a heart attack at the age of 61. This photo license is intended for editorial use only. In 1988, Thompson suffered a broken leg after he was run over by a car and shot at, again outside his home. Man charged in connection with death of Neil Canney in Greenock. Teacher strikes suspended as union backs new Scottish Government pay offer. We found 1021 people named Rita S Thompson. The newest bar in Glasgow's west end is run by the same people behind popular city centre bar Tingle on Mitchell Street. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? The violence was on a much, much higher level. A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at St. Michaels Catholic Church, Galena where friends may gather after 10:30 AM until the time of mass. Mirrorpix / GIW Photos. Editors' Code of Practice. By the 1980s, the Thompson family had entered the drug trade, led by Thompson's son Arthur Jr.[5] It was rumoured that, by the 1990s, Thompson was earning some 100,000 a week as a loan shark (usurer). One police file said: The overall picture of Thompson is that of a violent, vicious and active criminal who will stop at nothing to uphold his position in the underworld as a hard man and to gain his own ends". A measure of his influence came after his oldest son Arthur Thompson Jnr was jailed for 11 years in 1985 for drug dealing. It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse. He was also cleared of attempting to murder Arthur Thompson Snr by repeatedly driving a car at him and threatening to murder another man William Gillen by shooting him in the leg. There are rumors that the gang split up into two groups in 2007 and its leading members were killed in that year; possibly by government forces although it denies responsibility. Dumbarton police stop 'dangerous' vehicle on A82 as driver fails cannabis test. In the early 1960s, Thompson became close allies of notorious London gangsters The Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie so much so, they are reputed to have come up to Glasgow to seek his advice on a plan to take over The Beatles from their manager Brian Epstein. Glasgow priest found guilty of abusing four young girls walks free from court. [8] He had been given two-and-a-half years, reduced on appeal to 18 months. To quote from Norval's musical epitaph, My daddy was a bankrobber, but he never hurt nobody, he just loved to live that way, and he loved to steal your money.". His rivals tried and failed to eliminate him in 1966 when a bomb exploded under his car. ), added to the myth of the occasion by telling the world that her good old Da was determined not to leave the world until he know that his 'lassies' could look after themselves. The gunman, an IRA hitman, had been hired by a rival to kill him. Zoe Hagman and her daughter Ariana Catalano have opened Arredo on Shawlands' Kilmarnock Road to bring some flair to the street and also to the homes of local shoppers. In dramatic scenes, Thompson and the Welshes both stood trial at the same time at the High Court in Glasgow. He graduated to forming protection rackets and like some other gangsters of the era, Arthur wisely invested his money in legitimate businesses and became an exceptionally wealthy man. Visitation will be . These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. All rights reserved. Young Arthur - nicknamed Fat Boy by his detractors - had been released that Saturday morning from Noranside Prison in Angus on a weekend parole as part of a training for freedom programme. Join Facebook to connect with Rita Thompson and others you may know. On the day of his funeral a month later, the bodies of Joe Hanlon and Bobby Glover were discovered outside the Cottage Bar, a pub they used in Shettleston, Glasgow. THE widow of Arthur Thompson, the former Glasgow godfather, has died. His account, as it was in all subsequent violent episodes, was that the red mist had come down and he couldn't remember a thing about it afterwards. The young cop who took on the Godfather rose through the ranks to become head of the Strathclyde Police Serious Crime Squad and retired at the rank of Detective Superintendent in 1992. New Glasgow west end venue The Wendy Bar opens its doors on Byres Road. Arthur survived thebomb attack but his mother-in-lawMargaret Johnstone was killed outright. Rita M. Glasgow. Rita M. Glasgow - Furlong Funeral Chapel There was to be further drama that day as there was also a bomb scare at the cemetery where Thompson Jr was due to be buried. 541 court search results for people named "Rita Thompson" in the United States. When fellow gang member Ronnie Biggs was asked shortly before his death in 2013 if Arthur was involved in the robbery, Biggs replied cryptically: I might be dying but Im not a grass.. He recognised them immediately as they and Ferris were regulars. The group has a total disdain for the modernization of their country and completely reject Western influences. Rita Thompson, 72, who had throat cancer, died on Tuesday. All rights reserved. Population Served Men who have experienced chronic homelessness It's not known what Thompson's views were when Ferris was cleared of murdering his son. By the 1980s, Glasgow was in the midst of a heroin epidemic as the drug flooded into the city in a market worth up to 30 million. Business reporter with panache dies in retirement. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He died in his father's arms. Arthur Thompson Snr died of a heart attack in 1993. Obituaries & obituary notices in Glasgow. Uncover Rita's photos, videos, and more . When it comes to selling coins, there is a lot to consider and if you aren't too sure about what collectors are after, selling it can be quite tricky. Copyright 2023 Bridgeman Art Library Limited. It's now, as leader of what becomes known as the XYY Gang, that Norval becomes notorious. Shelter Scotland launch Glasgow Central Station pop up clothes shops. In 1988, Thompson had another lucky escape when he was shot in the groin in a demolition yard he owned in the East End of Glasgow. McPherson wrote: It was straight out of a Guy Ritchie movie and was full of cockney hardmen. During his trips to London hed become friends with one of the ring leaders, Buster Edwards, who would later attend the funeral of Arthurs murdered son, Arthur Jr. On one occasion, the then BBC broadcaster accompanied Thompson to an underworld pub in London. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. Thompson himself had been known for punishing enemies or bad debtors by nailing their hands and feet to the floor crucifixion-style. Glasgow Live. View the profiles of people named Rita Thompson. In his 2009 autobiography, legendary Scottish football commentator Archie MacPherson revealed he was paid up to 500 a time in the early 1980s to host events organised by Thompson. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. She received three years in prison for the attack. There was a time when Billy Thompson, youngest member of Glasgow's most infamous criminal clan, could rely on his family's reputation to protect him wherever he went. A Gannett Company. The truth about the slaying of Arthur 'Fat Boy' Thompson Junior, eldest son of the godfather of Glasgow's biggest criminal clan, outside his home in the Provanmill district in 1991, has been. 'You're wasting your time,' a shopkeeper said. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself. How Fat Boy and the Apprentice unleashed Glasgow's gang wars Joe, now 80, said: As far as I was concerned what my brother and I saw that night was murder. If located in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Eire, kindly contact Mirrorpix directly at desk@mirrorpix.com. He was buried in the family plot at Riddrie Cemetery beside Arthur Jnr and daughter, Margaret, who suffered a drugs overdose in 1989. One infamous recent incident occurred when a member in San Francisco killed a man and his two sons for the crime of briefly blocking his car. Copyright 2006 Gale, Cengage Learning. The gangster was always the same dealing with the police. By the Eighties, the Thompson clan had moved into. There were plans at one stage to move Thompson from cushier Aberdeen to the tougher regime of Barlinnie but Rita bizarrely objected on the grounds that her husband might "fall in with a bad crowd.". The term Mungiki means multitude or united people in the Kikuyu language. There were 6,656 official murders in the nation in 2015 and in 2016; there was a homicide every hour in the first few months of the year. By now, his son Arthur Jr., also known as Fatboy, was in charge of the gang as Arthur Sr. took a backseat. Thompson later gave a personal undertaking to the police that he would not harm the two officers. He even threatened to bomb the homes of two off-duty police officers after they saw him kill two men in Royston Road, Glasgow, in May that year. Glasgow mum and daughter duo launch interiors shop in heart of Shawlands. Arthur survived, but his mother-in-law was killed. Disaster struck in 1985 when Fat Boy was jailed for 11 years when he fell victim to a huge heroin bust. Add up to 5 colours and slide the dividers to adjust the composition, Click for a quote that fits your requirements. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Michael Beale will be looking for an immediate reaction from his side after suffering a first defeat in charge of the Light Blues in the League Cup Final defeat to Celtic. The gunman, an IRA hitman, had been hired by a rival to kill him. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. The Mungiki was banned in 2002 after its involvement in extreme violence in Kenyas capital, Nairobi. Arthur Thompson, Rita Thompson.Circa, Glasgow - Global ImageWorks 5 Notorious Gangs that Terrorized City Streets Around the World Announcements and Notices | Glasgow Times If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Further violence involving the Mungiki took place after the disputed Kenyan General Election in December 2007. View Rita Thompson results in Georgia (GA) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Thompson lived with his family in Provanmill Road in Provanmill, Glasgow, in a garishly converted council house nicknamed The Ponderosa, after the 1960s cowboy TV series Bonanza. After a few years of relatively low-key activity, the gang escalated its violent activity in 2007. He died from a heart attack in 1993 aged 61. It's all over, big man | The Scotsman Both had been dumped in the well of Hanlon's Ford Orion car parked in Darleith Street a few yards from it's entrance. [14], Thompson is survived by Tracey Thompson, his last remaining child. In May, veteran gangland boss Frank McPhee was shot through the head on his doorstep, as his 11-year-old son looked on in terror. - but was later drafted for National Service, which he was determined to avoid, as he had much of school. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's "He will inevitably return to his lucrative club management and his position as a leader of the Glasgow criminal fraternity. Despite these issues, Arthur made a fortune from drugs and was also reportedly earning 100,000 a week as a loan shark. Gang members are prone to psychotically violent behavior. However, he survived an assassination attempt in 1985 and another one in 1988. In August 2014 he died from pneumonia aged 85, cuing the high-profile exit at Maryhill Crematorium with musical accompaniment by the Clash. Thompson in turn was accused of the culpable homicide of Goldie and Welsh. Thompson received a not proven verdict, despite the eyewitness accounts of Joe and his brother. The presence or absence of records for any individual is not a guarantee of any kind. It was just a way for the terrified owner to pay protection to Thompson. Norval made his name in local gangs, moving on to protection rackets, working pubs, clubs and bookies then, naturally, to armed robbery. Prison chiefs were also under no illusions about the kind of man they were dealing with. The iconic firm was formed back in 1965. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Although he has been dead for nearly eight years, the name of Arthur Thompson still induces instant amnesia or muteness in Provanmill residents. By the early 1980's Thompson - now in his 50's - was all-powerful in Glasgow and beyond. Joe, now 80, said: As far as I was concerned what my brother and I saw that night was murder. Rita's husband, William Gunn, the biker, isn't so lucky, getting five years in jail for threatening. Legend has it that the crime boss later viewed the bodies and shot both men in the chest with another gun. London, W2 4PH Glasgow crime stories: Arthur Thompson | Glasgow Times The first bullet grazed his cheek, the second smashed into his ribs, a lung, the third, tore through his gut and pierced his heart. MS-13 worked with Mexican drug cartels regularly and is becoming ever more active in the United States. But that was all in the past for Ferris as he savoured his dramatic acquittal on the High Court steps before a cheering crowd. Lanarkshire mum loses scan picture of dead babies after 'heartless' council evict her. The eyewitnesses who did not speak up at the trial were not bad people, they were just terrified of Thompson and what he might do to them.. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes. As a result, they were given a police guard and their families moved to safety in another part of the city. She was born September 4, 1944, in Fort Fairfield, the daughter of Stephen Jr. and Rita (Theriault) Murphy. He started young around the Garscube Road. The 56-year-old had been reported missing on Sunday. Widow of gangster Thompson dies | HeraldScotland Feedback | Today, there is an estimated 70,000 members throughout Central and North America. While London had the Krays and the Richardsons to contend with in the 1960s, Glasgow had its own dominant group of street thugs in the form of The Thompson Gang. Beatings and slashings were routinely inflicted on anyone who failed to pay up. At 1.30pm, five cars left her home in Provanmill Road in Glasgow's East End bound for nearby Riddrie Park Cemetery. [4] Thompson then went on to invest his money into legitimate businesses, which grew more and more over the years, making him a very wealthy man. Perhaps a more fitting coda from the band might have been, I fought the law and the law won. On a quiet Sunday afternoon this month, as Billy strolled past his local post office in the tough Provanmill district of the city's East End, he was set upon by at least three men and stabbed repeatedly in his head and body. Joe Jackson was with his older brother John when they saw Thompson, in his top-of-the-range Jaguar, force a van into a lamp post, killing the occupants, James Goldie and Patrick Welsh. Kenyas security forces had to act and stormed into the Mathare region. He is known to have blown up a pub and social club after one owner refused to comply. He might have observed the criminal code but never the marital one. Earlier this year, pitched battles broke out in Chinese restaurants between the Wo Sing Wo Triad and their rivals, the Tai Huen Chair or Big Circle Gang. By 1966, Arthur Thompson was all-powerful in Glasgow. Discover work experience, company details, and more. Fraser, now dead, once recalled: Down south, we viewed Glasgow as the Wild West. Body of missing man Matthew Cosgrove discovered by police in Lanarkshire. If you're in need of a Friday funny, this typo blunder spotted at TJ Hughes in Glasgow could be just the thing to cheer you up. By this stage in his career Norval had a wife in Liddesdale Street, Milton, and a mistress, Jean, whom he housed separately, in Willowbank Street, but who remained loyal to him for the rest of his life. It later transpired that they would have been better off inside prison. BROOKS John to Elizabeth (McInally) on 19th June 1971, in the parish of the Immaculate Heart of. It was rumoured to be fitted out with secret passages, hiding spots, and its own underground tunnel. The London Euston to Glasgow train was forced to come to an emergency stop; . Born in September 1931 in the industrial area of Springburn, Glasgow he was destined for a life of crime. (617) 265-4336 View Details Rita Thompson View Details Austin 8813 Collingwood Dr, Austin Associated persons: Daniel H Thompson, Gregory M Thompson, Richard H Thompson, Rita m Thompson (512) 292-0911 View Details Rita I Thompson, age 70 View Details 2747 Hering Ave Address review: Water SystemNO WATER (WNW) Completed College In October 2016, the gang is believed to have murdered up to 6 people in the Brentwood area of New York including two teenage girls. For Norval the past was not just a different country but one with a language and culture he did not understand. Glasgow crime stories: Arthur Thompson who ruled the city's underworld for more than 30 years. View the profiles of professionals named "Rita Thompson" on LinkedIn. Both bodies are thought to have been stored at business premises not far from the Cottage Bar overnight, then driven to Darleith Street around mid-morning. One of his main sources of income over the years was providing protection to pubs in the city. Thompson received a not proven verdict, despite the eyewitness accounts of Joe and his brother. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. [14], Chasing Killers Joe Jackson ISBN978-1-84596-406-1. Glasgow's gangsters - Arthur Thompson, the Godfather, Killings of Patrick Welsh and James Goldie, "Fears gangland enforcer Ferris moving in on Capital cab trade", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/861134.stm, https://web.archive.org/web/20051227034428/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=474552002, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Thompson_(gangster)&oldid=1115792863, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 October 2022, at 06:54.