The Great Train Robbery

At our meeting on 27th November, the guest speaker, Ian Boskett, gave a witty and informative talk, aided by props and photographs, his subject being the Great Train Robbery on 8th August, 1963.

1963 was a bad year for the Establishment, with the Profumo Affair, the collapse of the Macmillan Government and the Great Train Robbery, which was deemed impossible.  Money in those days could not be transferred between banks by the press of a button but only by cash transported by postal train, in this case between Glasgow (The Bank of Scotland) and London (The Bank of England).

The robbers stopped the train south of Leighton Buzzard by altering two low level signals, the first from red to amber and the second from red to green, using gloves to mask the red lights and batteries to operate the green lights. The train then stopped at Sears Crossing, where the locomotive and two carriages including the first sorting carriage were uncoupled and driven to Bridego Bridge, the getaway point, where a lorry was waiting to transport them and £2.6 million haul to Leatherslade Farm nearly 30 miles away. The operation required a good deal of inside information provided by a number of people working for the railways and the post office, who were handsomely rewarded.

The gangsters were notorious criminals, and one seasoned detective, Tommy Butler, identified 14 of the 15 who took part, even before any investigation started. Incidentally Ronnie Biggs was only regarded as a petty criminal but made his name by escaping from prison and grinning at everybody from South America. All evidence at the scene of the crime as destroyed through in competence, but finger prints were discovered at Leatherslade Farm, the gangsters hideout, where they were disturbed by the police, after the report of a local farmer.

The train driver, Jack Mills, and secondman David Whitby, suffered badly. Jack died 5 years later from leukaemia and David, who never worked again, died 10 years later at the age of 34 from a heart attack.

The members enjoyed this talk greatly, which was delivered by Ian, with great wit and loads of information.

Bob Horner