While all-female gangs may be on the rise in today’s society, their origins trace back to the late 19th century.
Operating from the 1870s to the 1950s, The Forty Elephants gang was notorious for their significant shoplifting operations in London’s West End department stores, and they didn’t hesitate to employ violence when necessary.
Alice Diamond, one of their prominent leaders, was known for wearing diamond rings that could potentially inflict serious harm in a fistfight. Together with Florrie Holmes and Maggie Hughes, The Elephants dressed in elegant and costly attire, masking their criminal activities beneath a facade of luxury.
Three of the gang members eventually faced jail time for theft.
During the period from the 1870s to the 1950s, London found itself under the control of this fearsome girl gang, which orchestrated the largest shoplifting scheme the country had ever witnessed. They also engaged in various other criminal activities, including blackmail and kidnapping, unafraid to deliver brutal beatings or seek revenge against adversaries using knives and metal bars.
By the dawn of the 20th century, their reputation had spread throughout London. They began utilizing high-powered vehicles to elude law enforcement, and their heists became increasingly daring.
Additionally, they embraced a glamorous lifestyle akin to that of movie stars, hosting extravagant parties and indulging in lavish spending at pubs and restaurants. Undoubtedly, they were the most infamous girl gang in British history.
First reported in the newspapers in 1873, The Forty Elephants, also known as The Forty Thieves, is believed to have originated in the late 1700s and dominated a segment of London’s criminal underworld for nearly two centuries.
Collaborating with the notorious Elephant and Castle gang—a group of male thieves and burglars—the girls operated within a mile of South London’s Elephant and Castle. Their targets included some of the largest stores in London, such as Debenham and Freebody (which later became Debenhams), DH Evans, Selfridges, and Whiteleys.
They always made off with the priciest jewelry and garments.
Under the leadership of Alice Diamond, who ascended to the role of Queen in 1916 at just 20 years old, the gang became its most formidable.
Alice ruled with a strict discipline, extending the gang’s reach beyond London as their fame in the West End grew. It was her diamond-studded fist of rings that led police to label her as Diamond Annie, noting that she had a “dangerous punch.”
In 1925, she orchestrated a vicious assault on a male criminal with whom she had a falling out. The attack resulted in several gang members, including Diamond, being imprisoned, yet she continued to lead the group from her jail cell.
One of the few instances when a gang member was apprehended occurred in 1923, when Maggie Hughes fled a jeweler’s with a tray of diamond rings, directly into the arms of a policeman.
Following Diamond’s departure from the role of Queen in the 1930s, the gang’s infamous reputation began to wane and eventually faded into obscurity.
Up until now, these young women have barely been acknowledged in history books. It is hoped that they will finally receive the recognition they deserve.
by Professor P.T. Brown
