The Incredible Rise of a Gorbals Gangster

by Colin MacFarlane

  Suddenly the phone rang. Bobby picked it up, “Hello? Oh, hello Arthur. What, ye want me up there now? No problem, ah’ll be up straight away.” He looked at Johnny, “Right we’re off to see the big man.”

  Outside, one of Bobby’s henchmen was waiting in a car. He drove them to a pub, owned by Arthur, in the Provanhill area of Glasgow. When they went into the pub, Arthur, looking every inch a businessman in a smart suit, was seated with a gang of his enforcers. They were well-built men who, although friendly, were slightly intimidating. “Who is this?” Arthur said looking at Johnny. Bobby replied, “This is Johnny, my son in law, great guy, one of the boys and very dependable. He keeps his mouth shut when he has to.”

  “Good to hear it,” Arthur replied and shook Johnny’s hand while continuing to address his gang, “Right boys, if you can leave us for a while, ah’ve got to have a confidential meeting wi’ Bobby and his pal.” They nodded and left. Arthur put a diagram on the pub table, “This is a job ah’ve been planning for a while. Clydesdale Bank just off Sauchiehall Street. Ah’ve got a mole inside who tells me there will be thirty grand in the tills this Friday. I need two men to go in and take it. One will have a shotgun, the other a starting pistol. I will arrange for somebody to cut the alarm and telephone lines, before they go in.

  “Ah’ve also lined up a getaway driver. I need another fit young guy wi’ brains, for back up, tae enter the bank. Johnny, you look like you fit the bill.”

  Johnny felt nervous but nodded his head and said, “Aye, no problem, Arthur.” They went over the plan in more detail. The robbery would take place at just before 3pm on Friday. Johnny and the other guy would wear stockings on their heads. Friday came along and Johnny and his accomplice, called Billy, who he had only met a couple of hours before the heist, entered the bank. Billy, brandishing a shotgun, shouted to the customers, “Get on the fucking floor!”

  Johnny, shaking with fear and adrenaline, fired the starting pistol into the air. They handed two large bags to a teller who filled them up with notes. No alarm bells went off and they rushed outside to the car to make their getaway. No hitches, everything went according to plan. Johnny got back to the Gorbals and met Bobby in his flat. They turned on the radio, “A Glasgow bank was raided today by two armed men, wearing stockings over their faces. It is believed they got away with £25,000.” Later they went back to Arthur’s pub and the money, in bundles of banknotes, was shared out. When they got home, Bobby put his slice of cash in his wall safe, all in used, untraceable notes.

  Johnny had his £5,000 in two plastic bags which he hid under the floorboards in his flat. He had a quick wash and headed out for a walk around the Gorbals.

  “Five thousand quid, for a few minutes work! He loved being a gangster. It was certainly better and more lucrative than shovelling sawdust into bags. As he was walking towards Gorbals Cross he saw wee Alex coming towards him with a big smile on his face.

  “Where you been?” Johnny said.

  “Up in the magistrates courts.”

  “What for?”

  “Robbery and theft.”

  “Robbery and theft? Why, what happened?”

  Alex gave a mad laugh, “After I left you the other day I went intae Lewis’s department store and decided to steal a few tea towels and a packet of Brillo pads for ma mother. I also stole a woman’s purse.”

  “So, you got caught Alex?”

  “Yeah, they’ve got new hidden cameras in the store tae catch shoplifters like me. Ah was arrested and taken tae the police cells and then court. They adjourned the case until this morning for social work reports.”

  “And?”

  “Well, a social worker, who knows me well, told the court something like I was ‘a well known mental detective’. Ah think she meant that ah look like that Columbo guy on the telly. Wi’ ma black hair and raincoat, ah’m a dead ringer for him. Anyway they let me go saying that they had taken into consideration that ah looked like a mental detective.”

  Wee Alex was serious. Johnny felt tears of laughter coming down his cheeks, he had never laughed so much in his life.

  “Ah’ll tell you what though,” Alex said, “Crime does not pay!”

  He agreed, “You’re right pal, crime definitely does not pay, even if you are a well-known mental detective!”

  Chapter 51

  SWIMMING

  Johnny was informed by Bobby that they were to have a forward planning meeting at the Rogano Restaurant “up the toon” with big Arthur. He told Johnny, “He was well impressed how you handled the bank job. Arthur wants to have a wee chat about further business opportunities. The Rogano is a smashing place, full of toffs, but, ah suppose because we have a few bob as well, we are the new toffs!” Johnny agreed, nodding his head rather nervously. He had been summoned to a top restaurant by the Godfather himself, this was indeed an honour. Bobby told him to look smart as Arthur liked people who were smart and clean.

  He had got the message but the planned meeting put him on edge. Did this mean Arthur wanted him to do more bank jobs? It was a prospect he did not relish. He had just bought a smashing looking pin-striped suit which made him look every inch the provincial businessman, that was the smart part covered.

  As for being clean, he headed to the Gorbals baths for a swim and hot shower. The admission price was pittance and you could swim as much as you wanted and stand under the hot showers for ages. Upstairs, they had baths which were used mostly by Irish labourers to get clean after grafting on the building sites. Johnny took his swimming trunks and towel along. He had been doing this since he was a schoolboy and often stood under the hot showers and talked to older Gorbals guys who had fascinating stories to tell. There were small changing rooms around the pool, where the swimmers changed. He was a good swimmer and decided to do 50 lengths. After his swim he went into the shower room and was surprised to see Malky there with hot water cascading over him.

  He looked as though he had lost a bit of weight, his beer belly had been reduced considerably. Johnny shouted to him, “Malky ya bastard ye. You’ve lost a bit of weight, ye must be shagging too much.” Malky laughed, “Maybe! So, how’s it going? Ah see you didnae last too long in that sweat shop they call the sawmills.” Johnny laughed, “Aye, Malky, it wisnae for me aw that shovelling sawdust shite. So how come you’re no’ at work?” Malky grimaced, “Back strain, was lifting a pile of planks out of a van when ma back went. The doctor has given me a sick note for a week off.”

  “A week’s pay for a holiday, that’s no’ bad Malky!” Of course, there was an elephant in the room. None of them had mentioned Lorraine yet. For a few minutes there was an uncomfortable silence. Malky believed Johnny did not want to talk about Lorraine and Johnny believed Malky did not want to talk about Lorraine, so there was a sort of stalemate for a few minutes. But Johnny broke the silence, “So, how’s things wi’ you and Lorraine?” “Glad you asked,” Malky replied with a sigh of relief, “We’re going very strong but ah didnae want tae mention it after what she told me about you and her.”

  Johnny felt a knot develop in his stomach and covered up his nervousness by saying, “So what exactly did she tell you?” Malky shrugged as the hot water hit his shoulders, “She told me you wanted to marry her but she rejected you and you married Cathy on the rebound. All the worry about rejecting you put her in hospital with ‘woman’s trouble’ but she’s all right now. Is it true Johnny she rejected your offer to marry?”

  Johnny had to be diplomatic and bend the truth, “Yeah, it’s true Malky, ma heart was broken when she turned me down. But you are the lucky man who got her instead, what a beautiful bird she is.”

  Malky cheered up on hearing Johnny’s false patter, “Ah’m sorry it didnae work out for you, but Cathy’s a good catch and you were right tae marry her.” Johnny agreed, “Too right, Malky, Lorraine wisnae for me anyway. You’re the best man for her, in fact the best man won!”

  Malky smiled and nodded in agreement, “Ah’m glad you said that. Can ah tell you a wee secret?” “What�
��s that Malky?”

  “We’re thinking of getting engaged, we’ve been up the toon looking for rings. There’s just one thing that bothers me, her father stinks of fish, the smell follows him about everywhere. At times, it can be unbearable. It gets so bad he smells like a rat has crawled up his arse and died.”

  With this humorous yet slightly worrying remark Johnny left his pal in the showers and got dressed. When he glanced in a mirror he looked like the successful businessman, come gangster, he had always wanted to be.

  He walked into a fish and chip shop in the city centre and could feel people were looking at him. What was this prosperous looking businessman doing in a dump like this? Clothes maketh the man! Even the pretty little waitress, who must have been about 17, brought him a cup of tea in a servile manner.

  As she placed the tea on the table she said, “There you are, sir. If you fancy something to eat we have very nice cod and chips, sauce provided free.” Johnny smiled and kept up his pretence of being a visiting businessman. He even changed his voice to make it sound more respectable. He said to the waitress, “No thanks, I’m eating at the Rogano Restaurant later.” The young waitress blushed, “The Rogano? Ah’ve never been inside, far too posh for people like me, but for businessmen like you, ideal.” He felt so bucked up he left her a pound tip. He liked this gangster, businessman role, it was as if he had been born for it.

  He got to the Rogano at the appointed time of 7.30pm. The guy at the door, a Uriah Heep type character with a moustache, greeted him with the servility he had expected, “Good evening, sir, nice to see you again,” he said in a foreign accent, probably French.

  Johnny was amused that the guy had said it was nice to see him again as he had never been there before. But he knew it was all part of the posh patter syndrome.

  When he walked inside there was not only the smell of fancy food but also the place reeked of money. Bobby was already there in small dimly-lit alcove opposite the bar. He was sitting in what in the Gorbals was known as “the gangsters’ seat.” He had a wall behind him and was clocking everyone coming through the front door. “Sit down and enjoy,” Bobby said. There was a large bottle of champagne on the table in an ice bucket with three glasses.

  Big Arthur arrived about 15 minutes later and had an aura about him. Bobby gave a toast, “To our various ventures!” They talked about inane things for about half an hour, because this was how business was done. Inanity before the financial reality of business.

  To impress Arthur, Bobby told a feeble joke, “Daddy bull and his boy were at the top of a hill when they spotted a herd of cows below. The son said to daddy, ‘Why don’t we run down and fuck a couple of them?’ Daddy bull says, ‘No, we’ll walk down and fuck them all’.”

  Big Arthur laughed perhaps realising that this was some kind of metaphor for how they did business. He spoke in a low voice, ”You guys have impressed me. That bank job went well, as easy as spreading margarine. That’s what I like, nobody got caught, that’s the main thing. When I was younger, I did time in jail, but that’s for idiots. Long may our business adventures continue.” They all gave a toast. The night proceeded well and much to Johnny’s relief there was no mention of another bank job. They headed into the dining room where a table was waiting for them. Johnny was handed a menu by the waiter but all the dishes were gobbledegook to him. Most of them had French titles. Arthur and Bobby had been many times before and knew what they wanted to order.

  Johnny was slightly intimidated by the place with its elaborate menu and prices. The food titles baffled him and when asked by the French waiter what he’d like to order as a starter and main course, he bluffed it saying, “What do you recommend?” The waiter suggested as a starter, Moules Marinere and for the main course, Lobster Thermidor. He had no idea what they were, he was used to mince and tatties in the house and a fish supper from the local chippy.

  This was a different ball game, food fit for a king, or a Glasgow gangster. The food was also very expensive, you wouldn’t see may sawmills labourers in here, not unless they won the pools. The dishes came and were excellent, perhaps the best Johnny had ever tasted. More champagne was ordered and he began to feel slightly drunk. Arthur said at one point, “You pair are good operators, I’m quite prepared for you two guys to have a slice of the cake.”

  As he was getting drunker Johnny said to Arthur, “Can you do me a favour?”

  “What’s that son?”

  “Ma wife has just had a baby boy, Johnny Robert McGrath. Will you be his godfather?”

  Arthur smiled, “Of course I will, no bother son.”

  He then got up and left leaving Bobby and Johnny to pay the hefty bill. Bobby said, “Worth every fucking penny. We’ve now got the godfather of Glasgow as godfather to your son and my grandson. Brilliant move, Johnny, even I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

  They left the restaurant staggering arm in arm looking every inch two well dressed, yet inebriated gangsters.

  Chapter 52

  APPRENTICE

  Now that Johnny had been made Bobby’s right hand man and consigliere he had to learn the ropes fast. After all, the banking, betting and insurance game needed skills and experience to run them. Bobby had no doubt that Johnny had the acumen and talent to run such an operation, but like an apprentice he would have to serve his time, learn and make a lot of mistakes along the way. It was clear Bobby was very fond of Johnny, indeed treated him like the son he never had. Or, to put it succinctly, for a short period of time he did have a son, briefly years before, but his wife had a miscarriage and he was lost forever. Cathy came along 18 months later.

  As part of his induction into the workings of the Glasgow underworld, Bobby gave his protégé yet another “wee insight” into how things were run. “It’s simple,” he said, “We deal in money, ready cash which is untraceable.” On the banking side he learnt that the attraction to punters was the fact they did not have to put any security up front. People were taken at face value. The majority were happy with the rates of interest and surprised how easy it was to get a loan of a few quid. The majority paid up on time but Johnny had to sort out those who tried to take him and Bobby for mugs. Johnny was quite good at giving a good slap, Glasgow kiss, or a “kick in the baws” to those who deserved it. His biggest problem was dealing with “the alkies”, the guys who spent all their money on booze. But after a good slap, they usually sobered up enough to find the repayments.

  All sorts of people had all sorts of excuses not to pay on time, but the psychology was fuck that, pay up or pay the price! On the betting side Johnny had fewer problems. The secret was to beat the official bookie odds. If the bookies offered 7-1 on a horse he would offer 8-1.

  The important thing was to keep up the reputation of being generous, the word would spread and more punters would be attracted. He paid out a few big wins but in the end always won the money back, usually within a short period of time. On the insurance side Johnny had to beat up a few troublemakers. He even dealt with a gang of young guys who were going around with spray paint cans and vandalising properties. They were forced to scrub the graffiti off the walls with wire brushes. Also, a few shoplifters had their hands stood on by Johnny’s Doc Marten boots. The businesses were grateful as they knew they were being well protected. There was also a bit of bootlegging, selling knocked off booze and tobacco smuggling, offering the cheapest fags and rolled tobacco in Glasgow.

  Another unusual side-line was dealing in stolen works of art. Some collectors would order via the firm, a certain work of art they wanted and Johnny would try to provide it by hook or crook. In just a few months he had a great knowledge of all sides of the business. Instead of shovelling sawdust into bags, he was now shovelling money into them.

  At that point there was another side-line rearing its head: drugs. Up till then, Bobby and his team refused to deal in Charlie (cocaine) hash (marijuana) and even heroin. But times were changing and there was more and more demand for all sorts of drugs including amphetamine pills. Big Arthu
r and other gangsters were leading the way so it was only a matter of time before Bobby and his team followed suit. Being part of a money-making machine meant that Johnny had to have a low profile role. He was told to keep signing on the dole and remain in his council flat. Bobby had enough money to buy a mansion in leafy Bearsden but a low profile in his council flat meant there was less chance of him being noticed by the authorities. The message was… keep under the radar.

  They were so busy that Bobby arranged for Johnny to have two henchmen, Archie and Kenny Boy. Archie was to be Johnny’s driver and enforcer, and Kenny Boy was the other, jack of all trades, enforcer. Bobby told Johnny to delegate, and never to get his hands dirty “let them soil their hands for you.” Johnny and Bobby met the men in a car outside the high flats. Both of the enforcers were very well dressed, Archie in a dark blue suit and Kenny in a black Crombie coat. When Johnny jumped into the back of the Ford Zephyr, he recognised Archie straight away. He was a thick set man, in his 30s, weighing about 16 stone. He had the look of an ex-boxer about him, big bent nose and thick black hair. Johnny had seen Archie a few times in the Portland Dancehall chatting up the birds. He was a fine dancer and for a big man, pretty nimble on his feet. He also recognised Kenny Boy. He was a thin guy in his late 20s with a mop of fair hair.

  He was reading a copy of the racing paper Sporting Life. Johnny had heard he had been a wizard at school in mathematics. Presumably he was the guy who calculated the betting odds for the punters. Bobby introduced Johnny to the two men, “Right boys, as you may know, this is ma new deputy. You do what he says, but go easy on him, he’s new to the job.” He left the car and told Johnny to take over. Johnny said to his new enforcers, “So, what are we up to today boys?”