Thomas Shelby

Thomas served in World War I with the rank of Sergeant Major and received medals for gallantry (which he threw away in a canal after returning from the war). His experiences in World War I left him disillusioned and beset with ongoing nightmares, and he became determined to move his family up in the world so that the powers who had always mistreated them could no longer touch them. After a vendetta with the New York Mafia and during the year of the Wall Street Crash, Thomas Shelby became a Member of Parliament as a member of the Labour Party, while lending the chair of the legal business to his older brother, Arthur Shelby. Thomas Shelby indulged in the hobbies of a typical gangster of almost any era. He conducted business with a cigar in his mouth and a glass of whiskey in his hand. He also had a strong interest in horses, largely due to his Gypsy heritage and businesses in racetracks and gambling.