I Knew A Welsh Mafia Boss

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I knew a Welsh mafia boss.

My best friend in school was Johnny Illsley. He was one year younger than me but he had been moved up to my class. Johnny’s family lived in a large house in the coastal village of Ogmore-by-Sea in Wales and we were playing in the gardens.

We ran up to meet his grand-dad on his return from his office in Pencoed, South Wales, from which he ran his many businesses. Neither of us knew at the time that his grand-dad was the Mafia godfather, J.O.Williams.

A rich and very powerful businessman with international and government connections dating back to the 1930s.

At that time, I knew nothing about mafias or how the world operated. I knew nothing of politics, corruption and the real ways of the world. Neither did Johnny.

Johnny’s Family

My friend’s grand-father, John Osborne Williams, J.O., was born on 28 March 1886 and died on 6 July 1963 aged 77. His wife, Ethel Kate Williams (née Cobb) died on 20 March 1956 aged 69. He had two children: Arthur Eric Williams (13 July 2013 – 3 February 1940) and Katie Doreen Williams (29 March 1910 – 20 May 1996).

Arthur Eric Williams, known as Eric, died at the age of 27 years in the mysterious fire which we describe in detail later in this post. His wife, Olga d’Anitoff Williams survived the fire, rescued by Sid Wiseman, whom she then married. Their 3-year old daughter, Erica d’Anitoff Williams , died alongside her father.

Katie Doreen Williams married Geoffrey R. IIlsley, “lofty”, in August 1944. They had first met while serving in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) between 1 September 1941 to 30 November 1945. She was a Fist Officer responsible for ferrying aircraft for the war effort.
Their only son, John Edward Illsley was born in 1946 in Ogmore-by Sea.

Her husband was called Geoffrey or “Lofty”. She was always called Mrs. Illsley. She knew her position in this mafia family.

The Family Business

Williams was born in 1886 at 46 George Street, Cardiff, Wales, his parents’ home, and was the youngest son of Silas and Mary Williams. He was one of eight children and known as “Jack” within the family. He left school at age 14 in 1900 and entered the timber-exporting business.

“J.O.” as he was usually known, became a commercial clerk at the age of fifteen, as did two of his brothers, Hiram and Arthur. This experience was the background for at least two other logging, trading, and shipping agency companies he set up.

In 1908, at 22 years of age, he worked for Evans and Reed, Cardiff coal exporters and importers of pit-props. In 1914, during the First World War, he worked in the Baltic area, and in August of that year, he went to Montreal, spending September to December 1914 in the Dominion of Newfoundland.

In 1921 he obtained a loan from Franklin Thomas and Company of Cardiff to develop his business interests, setting up the J. O. Williams Company.

The Cottage

If ever there was a misnomer for a house, it is for “The Cottage”. It was the largest house in Ogmore-by-Sea. J.O. and Uncle John had the entire upper floor while J.O.’s daughter, Doreen, and her husband, “Lofty” Illsley, lived on the ground floor of the house. Her lifelong friend was Bunty James but I never met her.

If you google the address, The Cottage, Ogmore-by-Sea, you will see a rear view of the house from the main road. The house was much larger than it appears. In the 1960s there were uninterrupted views from the front of the house, over their extensive gardens and land, to the Bristol Channel.

The land between the house and the coast was owned by the J.O.Williams family but rented out to a local farmer. However, they retained right of access. J.O.’s son-in-law, “Lofty” Illsley installed a small changing facility near the boundary wall for their use when they wanted to bathe in the sea.

They would drive down from the house quite often in the summer months. It was too far to walk. Johnny and I would then cross the wall and within two minutes we would be playing on the sand or bathing. Johnny and I had many happy hours there.

J.O. did allow one house, but only one, to be built on his land before most of it was sold off, much later, to build an extensive housing development, (Marine Walk, Marine Drive etc.). It was the house of “Boss” Williams, the local headmaster (and not a relative). It was set well back from the J.O. residence.

Some Moments I Can Remember

Johnny and I being taken to a local rugby game by his grand-dad. While J.O. parked his Armstrong Siddeley car, we dutifully queued up for tickets to the field. He called us over and bypassed the queue. Johnny’s granddad just said “J.O.Williams, J.O.Williams” as we all walked through the turnstiles unchallenged.

After watching the game, we all went into the directors’ box for lunch.

“I’ve got a banger. I’ve got a banger.”

At a bonfire night party, Uncle John running through the crowd with a lighted firework in his hand, throwing it only seconds before it went off. Johnny and I were scared stiff. The J.O. family often invited friends and locals to festivities such as this.

The family did not make close friends outside their circle but were happy to put on events to which villagers were warmly welcomed and made to feel at ease.

“I don’t want the fish. We only need chips.” Johnny’s parents took Johnny and I for a weekend break in their campervan. “Lofty” Illsley, Johnny’s Dad, went to the local fish and chip shop to get some chips to accompany the fish that Doreen Illsley had prepared.

They wouldn’t serve him chips on their own. So he paid for the fish and chips and threw the fish away.

Does this tell us anything about mafia families? I think it does.

The rugby game incident showed J.O.’s supreme confidence and realisation of his powerful godfather position. He commanded and received respect.

Uncle John and the rest of the family showed how a mafia family creates a presence within a community without getting overly involved but coming across in a friendly and positive way. Gaining respect for the family which people knew would help them if they asked.

“Lofty”, by just throwing the fish away showed, in a curious way, a steadfastness and unwavering of purpose. Totally confident in himself. All are mafia traits.

Uncle John – The Mystery

But what of the “other son” who worked with J.O. in his Welsh company operations and lived in The Cottage, Ogmore-by-Sea. Always referred to as “Uncle John” by childhood friend John Illsley and myself.

As he bore a striking resemblance to other members of the Williams family, I suspect uncle was not merely an honorary title. There is a photo of J.O.Williams and his son Arthur Eric Williams in the limited archives available. It bears a strong resemblance to “Uncle John”.

Remember, I spent all my primary school years in close contact with this family.

A Note On Llewelyn Pritchard

Pritchard wrote about the Williams family past, calling it murky. He is a travel writer who sells tours to visit the tombstone of Arthur Eric Williams and his daughter Erica, who both perished in the fire of 1940. Apart from the tombstone, there is nothing for his tour customers to see.

He never met J.O. Williams or any of his children. He never visited Ogmore-by-Sea nor spoke with anyone who knew the family.

Conclusion: J.O. The Benevolent Mafia Boss

You always felt there was a “barrier” between you and the family, as if they lived on a different plane from the rest of the community. It wasn’t an unpleasant barrier but it certainly existed.

From my personal observations of the Williams family, I see a mafia as a benevolent dictatorship run as a family concern. The violence has been overplayed.

The only deaths in this story were those of J.O.’s son and granddaughter in the 1940 fire, and they were probably committed by loggers with grievances over working conditions who took the law into their own hands. That in itself is a typical mafia strategy.

J.O. wanted to create a wealthy and powerful family. There is no evidence he ever used violence. He was not involved in drug smuggling, protection rackets, human trafficking, illegal gambling, bootlegging or the other activities commonly associated with mafias. It is not illegal to outwit international governments and make a great deal of money doing so.

Provided you showed him respect, J.O. was benevolent towards you and you were regarded as part of his extended family. Although he was open to discussion and would listen, his decisions were final. J.O. Williams saw the crookedness and unfairness of much in society.

He knew at first hand the corruption, bias, and self-serving nature of the political and judicial establishment.

He had a sharp business-like mind and a gift for clear thinking. He did things his way. J.O. did not suffer fools gladly. He outclassed most people he came into contact with.

An Important Note

The “Uncle John” Figure: If that person was described as a “brother” of Doreen with “a remarkable family likeness to Arthur Eric,” he could be an illegitimate half-brother, a cousin raised as a sibling, or even Arthur himself using an alias.

The Fire and Its Aftermath: The 2002 RCMP reopening of the case suggests there was more to the story than the official narrative. If Olga survived and remarried her rescuer, that raises questions about what she knew and whether she was silenced.

Tombstone Error: Engravers sometimes make mistakes, and if the family was in distress after the fire, it’s possible no one double-checked the date.

Deliberate Alteration: If the family was trying to control the narrative or obscure Arthur’s identity (for reasons related to the Labrador Development Company, the fire, or larger entanglements), changing a birth date by 17 days on the tombstone is a subtle but effective way to create confusion in official records.

Transcription Error in Official Records: Birth registries at the time were handwritten and often difficult to decipher. We’ll never know the correct birth date

Another Welshman and links to Al Capone

Llewelyn Morris Humphreys’ Links to Al Capone

This additional information to my original post was published on 20 August 2026 as it shows a surprising comparison with the story of the Welsh mafia boss that Johnny and I knew. Readers will appreciate this new content.

A Welshman, whose family moved from their small village in Powys, Wales to escape poverty, who rose from petty crime to eventually become Al Capone’s right-hand man during the Prohibition era. He had several nicknames, including The Hump and Camel. The camel nickname came from his liking of expensive camel hair suits!

He was admired by Capone for preferring negotiation with his enemies instead of using violence. Humphreys was a “fixer”, controlling labour unions, bribing government officials, and judges.

An actual quote from Al Capone.

“Anybody can use a gun, but The Hump uses his head”.

The Camel was one of the planners of the 1929 St Valentine’s Massacre. and a third cousin of the former Plaid Cymru leader, Lord Dafydd Wigley.

Readers will be as surprised as I was to learn that he died of a heart attack while vacuuming his apartment. On the same day as the FBI tried to arrest him for perjury!



For a very detailed account, I provide the external verified link below.


https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Welsh+roots+of+mafia+boss+known+as+The+Camel+who+orchestrated+a…-a0773454959


https://understanding-thailand.com/some-of-my-published-posts/