The Peaky Blinders

Popularised by the BBC television programme of the same name, the Peaky Blinders were a real life street gang based in Birmingham that operated from the 1880s until the 1910s.

The gang consisted of largely young criminals who engaged in everything from robbery, violence, racketeering, bookmaking and illegal gambling. They were said to wear a signature outfit of hand tailored jackets, lapelled overcoats, waistcoats and flat peaked caps. However, it is unlikely that there were razor blades sewn into them as this kind of razor wasn’t invented until well into their reign of terror. The gang’s name likely instead came from the fact that their hats were worn low over their eyes.

Rival gangs

Much like in the TV series, the Peaky Blinders did battle against other rival gangs including the Sabinis and the Birmingham Boys, lead by Billy Kimber. It was Billy Kimber’s Birmingham Boys that took control of the area from the Peaky Blinders.

History of Peaky Blinders

At the time, Birmingham historically had a violent youth culture, mostly due to the city’s economic hardship. Young men frequently robbed and picked pockets around the slum areas of the city and often resorted to beatings, stabbings and other assaults. By the late 1880s, these youths began to organise themselves into gangs, one of the most violent of which was the Peaky Blinders. It is likely that they were founded in the area of Small Heath by a man named Thomas Mucklow.

Initially the Peaky Blinders mostly occupied the areas of Small Heath and Cheapside in Birmingham, essentially controlling the area for around twenty years. They established a variety of criminal activities and were known for their violence, not just against rival gangs, but also civilians and law enforcement. The Peaky Blinders were one such gang that had a habit of attacking police officers in a move known as constable baiting.

Members

The most powerful member of the Peaky Blinders was a man named Thomas Gilbert, he frequently went by aliases and was also known as Kevin Moody.

Other prominent members include Harry Fowles, who was known as “baby faced Harry”, Stephen McNickle and Earnest Haynes. Many of the members would go on to fight in the First World War, including Henry Lightfoot, the first person to be named as a Peaky Blinder, who was recorded as fighting at the Somme.

Decline in street gangs

After nearly 20 years of control, the Peaky Blinders were challenged by a larger gang lead by Billy Kimber called the Birmingham Boys. Other rival gangs including the Sabini gang began to move into their territory and eventually, these two solidified control over this part of England well into the 1930s.

More economic well being also contributed to a decline in street gangs, as did harsher sentences for criminals. In time, Peaky Blinders came to be used as a generic term to describe street violence.

Read Less