Jack Spot
Encyclopedia
Jack "Spot" Comer was a notorious British
gangster during the 1930s, 1940s
and 1950s.
with his wife from Łódź, Poland
in 1903. To assimilate more into British society, the Comacho family changed their name from Comacho to Colmore to Comer.
Jack Comer grew up in a Jewish ghetto
street in Fieldgate Mansions, along the west side of Myrdle Street, across from the Irish
in terraced houses along the east side. At age of seven Jack had joined his first gang, which was made up of boys from the Jewish side of Myrdle Street who fought their Catholic rivals from the other end of the street. "Spot" soon started being called "spotty" because he had a big black mole
on his left cheek.
. In his version of events, Spot and his mob charged into the fascists with full power injuring as many Blackshirts
and police as possible. "Spot" found himself alone and was surrounded by police with truncheons. He was badly beaten and sent to hospital, then prison. However, the Battle of Cable Street was fought virtually entirely between police and Anti-fascists, the reason for this was that police had directed the Blackshirts away from the planned route of the march. Moseley instead held his rally in Hyde Park, making Comer's story extremely unlikely.
, was released from prison after Jack Spot's failed £1.25 million heist on Heathrow Airport. Off-course bookmaking was also about to become legalized at this time, creating another dent in Spot's income.
After this, Spot progressively lost control of his crime empire. In 1956, Spot and his then wife Rita were attacked outside their Paddington home - by "Mad" Frankie Fraser
, Bobby Warren. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years in prison.
(pseudonym of Stephen D. Frances) and published in 1958, the book is a dramatic retelling of Jack Spot’s extraordinary career in organized crime between the 1930s and 1950s. The book was commissioned following the 1955 publication of Boss of Britain’s Underworld, an autobiography of Spot’s chief rival Billy Hill
. Through the book, Spot hoped to craft a legacy by capitalizing on the public’s fascination with major gangland personalities.
Man of a Thousand Cuts was first published by Alexander Moring, Ltd.. The book rights are now owned by Telos Publishing
. The film option rights are owned by Kingsway Films Ltd. and a feature film based on the life of Jack Spot is currently in pre-production.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
gangster during the 1930s, 1940s
and 1950s.
Early life
Born as Jacob Comacho, Jack Comer was the youngest of four children. His father was a poor Jewish tailor's machinist who had moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his wife from Łódź, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1903. To assimilate more into British society, the Comacho family changed their name from Comacho to Colmore to Comer.
Jack Comer grew up in a Jewish ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
street in Fieldgate Mansions, along the west side of Myrdle Street, across from the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
in terraced houses along the east side. At age of seven Jack had joined his first gang, which was made up of boys from the Jewish side of Myrdle Street who fought their Catholic rivals from the other end of the street. "Spot" soon started being called "spotty" because he had a big black mole
Mole (skin marking)
A melanocytic nevus is a type of lesion that contains nevus cells .Some sources equate the term mole with "melanocytic nevus". Other sources reserve the term "mole" for other purposes....
on his left cheek.
The Battle of Cable Street
"Spot" Comer claimed to have taken part in the Battle of Cable StreetBattle of Cable Street
The Battle of Cable Street took place on Sunday 4 October 1936 in Cable Street in the East End of London. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, overseeing a march by the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and anti-fascists, including local Jewish, socialist, anarchist,...
. In his version of events, Spot and his mob charged into the fascists with full power injuring as many Blackshirts
Blackshirts
The Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II...
and police as possible. "Spot" found himself alone and was surrounded by police with truncheons. He was badly beaten and sent to hospital, then prison. However, the Battle of Cable Street was fought virtually entirely between police and Anti-fascists, the reason for this was that police had directed the Blackshirts away from the planned route of the march. Moseley instead held his rally in Hyde Park, making Comer's story extremely unlikely.
Decline and later years
Spot's control of the East End rackets waned in 1952 when Comer's former partner, gangster Billy HillBilly Hill (gangster)
Billy Hill was a famous British gangster and criminal mastermind from the 1920s through to the 1960s.-Biography:...
, was released from prison after Jack Spot's failed £1.25 million heist on Heathrow Airport. Off-course bookmaking was also about to become legalized at this time, creating another dent in Spot's income.
After this, Spot progressively lost control of his crime empire. In 1956, Spot and his then wife Rita were attacked outside their Paddington home - by "Mad" Frankie Fraser
Frankie Fraser
Francis Davidson Fraser is a former British criminal and gang member who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences.-Early life:...
, Bobby Warren. Both Fraser and Warren were given seven years in prison.
Official biography
Man of a Thousand Cuts is the only official biography of Jack Spot. Written by iconic pulp-fiction novelist Hank JansonHank Janson
Hank Janson is both a fictional character and a pseudonym created by the English author Stephen Daniel Frances. Frances wrote a series of thrillers by, and often featuring, Hank Janson, beginning with When Dames Get Tough...
(pseudonym of Stephen D. Frances) and published in 1958, the book is a dramatic retelling of Jack Spot’s extraordinary career in organized crime between the 1930s and 1950s. The book was commissioned following the 1955 publication of Boss of Britain’s Underworld, an autobiography of Spot’s chief rival Billy Hill
Billy Hill (gangster)
Billy Hill was a famous British gangster and criminal mastermind from the 1920s through to the 1960s.-Biography:...
. Through the book, Spot hoped to craft a legacy by capitalizing on the public’s fascination with major gangland personalities.
Man of a Thousand Cuts was first published by Alexander Moring, Ltd.. The book rights are now owned by Telos Publishing
Telos Publishing
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series Urban Gothic in 2001...
. The film option rights are owned by Kingsway Films Ltd. and a feature film based on the life of Jack Spot is currently in pre-production.
Further reading
- Morton, James. Gangland Bosses: The Lives of Jack Spot and Billy Hill. London, 2004.
- Clarkson, Wensley. Hit 'Em Hard Jack Spot, King of the Underworld. HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 0-00-712441-4