Tread Carefully

During the 1960s, George Bramley, a dyslexic boy, born in the East End of London before the Second World War, opened a tyre shop in Stratford. At that time, for an East Ender with a business, there were three things to be wary of; The Kray Twins, the normal Old Bill and particularly the corrupt Flying Squad. This led him to mix with gangsters, murderers, con men and thieves such as his good friend Tony Maffia, who carried out a little-known bank job larger than the Great Train Robbery. George details what it was like to live and work in the East End at that time, the type of scams going on, the 'groupie' women in the car dealing world, and the social life. He ultimately built a business that over the years, went on to make millions of pounds. This success gave him many opportunities to meet and become friends with a multitude of famous people throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, of which many humorous stories are related here. Eventually being awarded the MBE, he would go on to visit Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street to meet two of the most famous ladies in the world; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the first lady to be Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. This autobiography is a funny, poignant, nostalgic, shocking and sometimes tragic record of the life of a true East Ender.