BILLY Hill was considered to be one of London’s most notorious criminals during the 20th century.
From his childhood up until his death, here's a look at the life of one of Britain's most fearsome gangsters.
Who was Billy Hill?
Billy Hill, also known as the ‘King of Soho’, was born on December 13, 1911, in London.
Raised in an established crime family, Hill was no stranger to disobeying the law.
According to reports, Hill committed his first crime at only 14 years old.
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He died on January 1, 1984, aged 72 - leaving behind his only son, Justin.
What was Billy Hill known for?
Billy Hill was known for his reputation as one of the main gang leaders in London during the 1930s.
From the mid-1940s, Billy worked with infamous bruiser Jack “Spot” Comer, making huge profits from brothels, drinking clubs, and gaming rooms, as well as taking “protection” cash from businesses across the capital.
In 1948, Hill found himself behind bars for his part in a £1.25m robbery on a warehouse at London Airport (now Heathrow) that was intercepted by Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad.
He was later released in 1952 and soon fell straight back into London's criminal underworld.
That same year, Hill masterminded the famous 1952 Eastcastle Street robbery of £230,000 from a Post Office van just off Oxford Street – equivalent to around £7.5m today.
During his life, Hill published an autobiography titled ‘Boss of Britain’s Underworld’.
In the book, the gangster explained how he used to “stripe” his rivals with a blade of “chiv”.
He explained how he used violence to carve a "V for victory" sign on his victims' faces but insisted "chivving" was only deployed as a last resort.
In 1956 Spot and his wife Rita were brutally attacked by Hill's bodyguard "Mad" Frankie Fraser, which led to him leaving the criminal underworld behind.
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His rivalry with Spot, that lasted until the mid-fifties has been immortalised in a film called ‘Once Upon A Time in London’.
Did Billy Hill know the Kray Twins?
By the time the Kray Twins and Richardson's came to prominence in London, Billy Hill had made the decision to retire from the criminal underworld.
However, he did advise the Kray Twins during their early criminal careers, with Reggie Kray once referring to Hill as his role model.
He said: "When I was in my early 20s the man I wanted to emulate most of all was the former gang boss of London's underworld, Billy Hill.
"The prime reason for my admiration was, that apart from Billy being very physical and violent when necessary, he had a good, quick-thinking brain."
What has Billy Hill's son said?
Despite his notorious reputation, Billy’s son Justin described his gangland father as “fun, loving and generous."
He told the Sun Online: “He was all the things you wouldn’t expect from a man with his past. He was a loving father…he didn’t want to involve me in any of his past.”
However Justin did see glimpses of Billy’s criminal past and his dad’s darker side.
Justin said: “There was one time when he called me up to his room and he handed me a bronze revolver. It was so heavy that I almost dropped it. I sat on dad’s bed and worked out how to open and spin the barrel.
“I asked him where the bullets were and he held up a sock full of metal.
“I later learned that Billy often slept with a gun under his pillow.”
Justin also recalled how, during a heated game of Snap, he once kicked Billy in the shin, resulting in his dad flying into a rage.
He said: “He picked me up by my hair and shook me around like a rag doll…Billy dropped me and a clump of my curls landed on the carpet beside me.
“It taught me to be wary of him, although we never spoke about it and he carried on as if it had never happened.”
Justin also told of how he was never tempted to follow in his father's footsteps.
He explained: “I would have been no good at it. He was a hard man and I don’t condone what he did but I was brought up not to break the law and I never have.”
He went on: “Billy and Gyp (his Mum) were loving, they were fun…I was blessed to have parents like them. I’m just a bit regretful I didn’t get more time. I was nine-and-a-half when Billy died.
“He was fun, loving and generous…all the things you wouldn’t expect from a man with his past. And Gyp was the same. They wanted to guide me down the proper path in life.
“Billy retired from the criminal world in the 1970’s. It was only towards the end of Gyp’s life that she spoke about the past…but they never glorified it.
“He was a loving father."
