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Surviving the Krays
David first met the Krays when he was seventeen years old. He was drawn into London's underworld, and became Ronnie's reluctant foot soldier, driver, errand boy. He was close to murder, and witnessed menaces and the increasingly psychotic behaviour of the most feared men in gangster land.
Unbeknown to David, his brother Bobby had bravely turned informer at great risk to his own safety and that of his brothers. That had its own consequences. But why, when the police were being furnished with eye-witness statements, from an impeccable source, were they seemingly incapable of bringing the twins to justice? The Krays were untouchable.
After tireless research through newly released documents in the National Archives, and piecing previously classified information together with his own, first-hand knowledge of the time, David Teale uncovers the shocking new truth, revealed in this book for the first time.
David's story rewrites history.
Unbeknown to David, his brother Bobby had bravely turned informer at great risk to his own safety and that of his brothers. That had its own consequences. But why, when the police were being furnished with eye-witness statements, from an impeccable source, were they seemingly incapable of bringing the twins to justice? The Krays were untouchable.
After tireless research through newly released documents in the National Archives, and piecing previously classified information together with his own, first-hand knowledge of the time, David Teale uncovers the shocking new truth, revealed in this book for the first time.
David's story rewrites history.
320 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2022
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 9, 2025
As you read this account of the Teale family's experiences as unwilling participants in the world of Ronnie and Reggie Kray, lots of information in the text and in the copious footnotes comes at you at speed, and at first it all seems exciting and dynamic. Unfortunately, as you read on, you see the same information recurring time after time.
There's no doubt that David Teale, his two brothers, and their families went through a great deal of misery due to their involvement with the twins, and David experienced his own kind of nightmare at the hands of Ronnie Kray. And no one would *ever* wish to downplay this in any way, least of all myself. However, for me, there came a point when reading this book became the thing I least expected: Boring.
The wealth of information you're given is full of detail, and perhaps its repetition is meant to serve as a reminder of what's gone before as you move through the book. But eventually, Teale's memories lose their momentum, dulled by the constant repetition. It also becomes apparent that the way in which the text is laid out, with wide spacing and margins, suggests that this is to make it appear that purchasers are getting sufficient bang for their buck. In other words, the impression given is that the original manuscript fell short of the required word count/number of pages for this hardback edition - hence the generous layout and what feels like a *lot* of padding.
This isn't to say that Surviving The Krays isn't worth reading. What it will give the reader is another angle on the twins' criminal world and those who peopled it, which is always welcome! In addition, Teale's prose creates a strong sense of time and place and makes you feel as though you're reliving those days in the 60s along with him.
But in the end, it does come back to the constant repetition. As for "The Final Explosive Secret about the Firm"; to be brutally honest, given the milieu and those involved, I didn't feel that it *was* all that 'explosive', and neither was it altogether surprising. Instead, it just seemed to confirm that sometimes the good guys aren't always a million miles away from the bad guys.
There's no doubt that David Teale, his two brothers, and their families went through a great deal of misery due to their involvement with the twins, and David experienced his own kind of nightmare at the hands of Ronnie Kray. And no one would *ever* wish to downplay this in any way, least of all myself. However, for me, there came a point when reading this book became the thing I least expected: Boring.
The wealth of information you're given is full of detail, and perhaps its repetition is meant to serve as a reminder of what's gone before as you move through the book. But eventually, Teale's memories lose their momentum, dulled by the constant repetition. It also becomes apparent that the way in which the text is laid out, with wide spacing and margins, suggests that this is to make it appear that purchasers are getting sufficient bang for their buck. In other words, the impression given is that the original manuscript fell short of the required word count/number of pages for this hardback edition - hence the generous layout and what feels like a *lot* of padding.
This isn't to say that Surviving The Krays isn't worth reading. What it will give the reader is another angle on the twins' criminal world and those who peopled it, which is always welcome! In addition, Teale's prose creates a strong sense of time and place and makes you feel as though you're reliving those days in the 60s along with him.
But in the end, it does come back to the constant repetition. As for "The Final Explosive Secret about the Firm"; to be brutally honest, given the milieu and those involved, I didn't feel that it *was* all that 'explosive', and neither was it altogether surprising. Instead, it just seemed to confirm that sometimes the good guys aren't always a million miles away from the bad guys.
Displaying 1 of 1 review