Jimmy Donnelly, an 80-year-old founder of the Calton Tongs street gang, has revealed that police questioned him over the theft of jewels belonging to Princess Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd. The burglary took place in 2002 at her home on the Isle of Seil, near Oban, and involved £100,000 worth of stolen jewels. Donnelly, who was in the Oban area at the time, denied any involvement and was never charged.
Police raid and damage claims
Donnelly remains angry about a police raid on his Glasgow home, which he claims caused £50,000 worth of damage. He described the incident: “They stood outside with submachine guns. They ripped out every electrical switch in the house. They left all the wires hanging out, burst a pipe and flooded the house and brought all my ceiling down. Maybe they thought I’d met too many important people.”
Donnelly, known as JD, came up with the gang's name in 1961 after watching the film Terror of the Tongs at the cinema with two friends. He was 14 at the time and on day release from an approved school. The gang became one of the most feared in the country, moving from street brawls to organised crime, with the chant “Tongs ya bass” becoming a slogan for young gangs.
Rivalries and infighting
Donnelly recalled infighting within the Tongs, saying: “I had a lot of fallouts with guys in the Tongs. One bampot didn’t like me playing Elvis Presley on the juke box and he kicked the juke box. There was a lot of infighting. But don’t forget we were only in our teens in those days. Some worked in the meat market and it was nothing for them to stab or slash somebody.”
He also spoke about rival gangs, including the Baltic Fleet in Dalmarnock, the Spur from Barrowfield, and the Cumbie from the Gorbals. Before World War II, the Bridgeton Billy Boys, led by Billy Fullerton, were the city's major gang. Donnelly noted: “We were just daft boys. We were in territories and you couldn’t be in another territory.”
Life beyond the gang
In his late teens, Donnelly moved to Slough and worked at Pinewood film studios and in kennels, looking after dogs for celebrities such as Lord and Lady Astor, Barbara Windsor, Sid James, and Christopher Lee. He later worked as a scaffolder on the Royal Estate near Windsor Castle, where he met the Queen by chance. He also met Mick Jagger and Ronnie Kray, and worked for Glasgow crime figure Arthur Thompson as a driver.
Donnelly has since become an artist and set up a studio in Glasgow's west end, with visitors including Debbie Harry, Ruby Wax, and David Cameron. He has also run a car showroom and stalls at the Barras market. His story features in a documentary by photographer Brian Anderson for his Naked City YouTube channel.
