#OnThisDay 12 Aug 1917 Matilda (also known as Tilly) Twiss married James Devine at the Sacred Heart Church in Camberwell, London. The newly married Tilly Devine came to Sydney as a 'war bride' and went on to be a major player in the Razor Gangs Wars. She was known as the ‘Queen of Woolloomooloo’.
![Tilly Devine, 1925. NRS 2496 [3/6007] photo 659](../../../sites/default/files/Galleries/Razor%20Gang%20Wars/2496-3-6007-659d.jpg "Tilly Devine, 1925. NRS 2496 [3/6007] photo 659")
Behind the Scenes
In this episode we show you the very popular Gaol Photo Description Books. The photos (or mugshots) of prisoners are from gaols right across NSW and date from 1870-1930.
Research Guides
Related Gallery
![Tilly Devine, State Reformatory, 1925. NRS 2496 [3/6007] photo 659](../../../sites/default/files/styles/gallery/public/Galleries/Razor%20Gang%20Wars/2496-3-6007-659aef69.jpg?itok=zBEujOYy "Tilly Devine, State Reformatory, 1925. NRS 2496 [3/6007] photo 659")
The suburbs of Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross in Sydney in the late 1920s and early 1930s was a world in turmoil with vicious ‘razor’ gangs battling for control of the criminal underworld. They were called razor gangs because of the cut throat razor (a straight shaving blade) that was the weapon of choice, especially after the Pistol Licensing Act of 1927 meant automatic gaol time for anyone caught carrying an unlicensed firearm.