Rose Wiltshire (formerly Lee) was the sister to Violet Kray and the maternal auntie to the Kray twins.
Her death from leukaemia had a profound effect on Ronnie Kray (who was very close to his aunt) and states his mental illness was triggered by her death in 1955, when he was twenty-two years old.
History
Rose was born in 1907, and was the first daughter to Jimmy Lee (1877-1971) and Mary Lee (b. 1867). Shortly followed by Violet two years later, May in 1911 and finally John in 1914.
In 1927, Rose Lee married William Wiltshire in Shoreditch and shortly gave birth to a son named William, where they stayed with Jimmy and Mary, the twins maternal grandparents on London Street. Aunt Rose was known for her aggressive attitude and was often caught up in fights around the local area. She often stuck up for the twins if they were involved in fights or criminal activity. Aunt Rose was the twins favourite. When Ronnie was teased in school about his eyebrows being too close together, she told him that it was a sign that he was 'born to be hanged'.
A young Aunt Rose.
During the 1960s, Violet's sisters Rose and May lived either side of her in Vallance Road, her brother Jimmy slept downstairs in the living room, while Grandad Jimmy 'Cannonball' Lee, Grandma Lee and their son John and his wife lived across the road in their cafe. Aunt Rose was living with her husband and son next door to her parents in a flat at 45 Dunbridge Street (as London Street had been recently renamed).
Death
- "The doctors warned us that the end would come with a haemorrhage and that it wouldn’t be nice to see. Her feet swelled up and the rest of her went thin as a rake. Then on Christmas Eve the bleeding started."
- ―Violet Kray in The Profession of Violence by John Pearson, 1972
It had been known by the family for two years that Aunt Rose was ill with leukaemia and she passed away on Christmas Day 1957. The news of her death was reportedly kept from Ronnie but whilst in a psychiatric unit himself, he was put in a straight jacket after reacting to the new badly.
She was portrayed by Susan Fleetwood in The Krays (film) in 1990.
| People associated with The Krays | |
|---|---|
| Kray Family | Ronnie • Reggie • Charlie • Violet • Charles |
| Shea Family | Frances • Frank • Elsie • Frank Sr. |
| Lee Family | Cannonball Lee • Grandma Lee • Aunt Rose • Aunt May • Uncle John |
| The Firm | Albert Donoghue • Ian Barrie • Leslie Payne • Big Pat • Ronnie Bender • Ronnie Hart • Teddy Smith • Jack Dickson • The Bear • Chris Lambrianou • Tony Lambrianou • Connie Whitehead |
| The Richardsons | Charlie Richardson • Eddie Richardson • George Cornell • Mad Frankie Fraser • Roy Hall • Jimmy Moody • Barry Harris • Albert Longman • Tommy Clark |
| Gangsters & Criminals | Freddie Foreman • Jack Spot • Billy Hill • Bert Rossi • Albert Dimes • Eric Mason • Johnny Squibb • Ginger Marks • Leslie Holt |
| Civilians | The Barmaid • Blonde Carol • Maureen Flanagan • Nipper Read • Lord Boothby • John Pearson • David Bailey |
| Victims | George Cornell • Frank Mitchell • Jack the Hat |