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Bridego Bridge – Great Train Robbery Site – Photo by Rob Farrow from Wikimedia
Top 10 Facts about the Great Train Robbery, UK
Arguably the most famous train robbery in the world, the Great Train Robbery is one of the most well-planned robberies in history. Using inside information, It took 15 men around 30 minutes to stop and steal over £ 2.6 million (equivalent to 58 million pounds today) from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London in the early hours of 8 August 1963.
The story of the Great Train Robbery captured global attention and has been a subject of discussion since then. What makes the story very exciting is that the robbers carried out the mission largely non-violently and without using any firearms.
Although there is still some debate going on regarding the exact amount of money stolen and the real number of robbers involved in the heist, here are the top 10 facts about the robbery.
See the 10 most famous Train Robberies in History
1. The Gang used inside Information to carry out the Robbery
The planning and execution of the great train robbery are regarded as one of the most well-planned and successful criminal activities in history. This is largely because the robbers used inside information they had acquired from a senior security officer within Royal Mail to intercept and rob the train.
The officer, only known as “The Ulsterman”, whose real identity has never been established, gave the robbers detailed information about the train’s security, timings, and the amounts of money to be transported.
According to the police records, “The Ulsterman” was introduced to two members of the gang—Gordon Goody and Buster Edwards— by a London solicitor’s clerk, Brian Field.
2. The Robbers Tampered with the Signal to stop the Train
West Coast Main Line – Great Train Robbery site – Photo by Ron Farrow from Wikimedia
Unknown to him that the signals have been tampered with, Jack Mills, the train driver, stopped the train at a red signal light at Sears Crossing, Ledburn, just after 03:00 on 8 August 1963. The robbers had covered the green light and connected a battery to power the red light which prompted the driver to stop the train.
Because the robbery master planners were not well conversant with train signals they had enlisted the services of Roger Cordrey, a man who was a specialist in this field and knew how to rig the track-side signals to stop the train.
3. No Firearms were used during the Robbery
Unlike many other train robberies where firearms and sometimes even explosives were used, the great train robbery did not involve any firearms. The robbers who had prior information concerning the train’s security arrangement did not see the need to carry dangerous weapons.
Nevertheless, the train driver was struck over the head with a metal bar and suffered serious head injuries after he failed to follow the orders properly. This attack prompted the robbers to be later charged with robbery with violence although the robbery itself was largely non-violent.
4. Over £2.6 Million was Stolen
Although there is some uncertainty regarding the exact cash total stolen from the train, around £ 2.6 million (equivalent to 58 million pounds today) was stolen during the heist. The press quoted the figure of £2,631,684 while the Police investigators stated the figure as £2,595,997.
The robbers removed 120 out of 128 mailbags containing money from the train’s HVP carriage; which they transferred to the waiting trucks. Most of the currency was in £1 and £5 notes but there were also ten-shilling notes and Irish and Scottish money.
According to one former police officer who was involved in the case, the total weight of the bags removed from the train was 2.5 tons and it took the robbers between 15 and 20 minutes to complete the mission.
Also, read about the 10 most famous robberies in the UK
5. The Loot was shared equally between all the Robbers
Ronnie Biggs (far left)- Gang Member – Photo Source: Wikimedia
Although there is some uncertainty regarding the exact cash total that was stolen from the train, the police stated the figure to be £2,595,997, equivalent to 58 million pounds today.
The money is believed to have been shared equally among all the robbers and their accomplices who were 17 in number according to the police investigators. The precise amounts of the split differ according to the source, but the full shares came to approximately £150,000 each (equivalent to £3 million today).
6. Almost all the Robbers were Arrested
Leatherslade farm – The Gang’s hideout – Photo by Shaun Ferguson From Wikimedia
Despite carrying out one of the most well-planned robberies in history, almost all the gang members were later arrested and sent to prison. This was after a thorough investigation that was done by the police.
Immediately after the robbery, the gang moved into a nearby farm where they planned to lie low for a few days, allowing things to cool down. However, they were forced to move out in a hurry after they learned the police were rapidly closing in on them.
Their hurried exit and failure to thoroughly clean their fingerprints or destroy the hideout became their biggest undoing. It made it possible for the investigators to find and lift several fingerprints which eventually led to their arrest.
7. The bulk of the stolen money was never recovered
Even though almost all the gang members involved in the great train robbery were arrested and brought to justice, very little of the stolen money was ever recovered. Out of over or close to £ 2,6 million (equivalent to £58 million today) that is believed to have been stolen, only Less than £400,000 was recovered.
Apart from Roger Cordrey and Brian Field who were found with a big chunk of money at the time of their arrest, other gang members had already divided their loot among their friends, associates, and family members, which made it difficult to recover the money.
Additionally, there were only a few hundred pounds that could have been identified by the serial numbers, which made it easier for the robbers and their associates to spend the money without fear of being traced.
See the 10 most famous Bank Heists in the UK
8. Bruce Reynolds was the mastermind
Bruce Reynolds (far right) – Photo Source: Wikimedia
Following an extensive and thorough investigation conducted by law enforcement officers, Bruce Reynolds was identified as the mastermind of the Great Train Robbery.
Bruce Reynolds was a career criminal who had been involved in other various criminal activities before he planned and carried out one of the most famous robberies in history.
After the robbery, Reynolds spent six months in a mews house in South Kensington waiting for a false passport, after which he escaped to Mexico City where he lived for a couple of years before returning to England. He was arrested on 9 November 1968 and stayed in prison for around 10 years.
Read the 20 most famous Train Robbers in the World
9. Two of the robbers later escaped from prison
Out of 12 men who were originally sentenced for their role in the Great Train Robbery, two of the men, Charles Frederick Wilson and Ronald Arthur Biggs, managed to escape from prison and fled the country.
Charles Frederick Wilson was the first to escape On 12 August 1964. He escaped from Winson Green Prison in Birmingham after a three-man gang broke into the prison and extricated him. He successfully evaded re-capture for four years after he fled the country and settled in Canada with his family.
The second to escapee was Ronald Arthur Biggs in July 1965. He escaped from Wandsworth Prison, 15 months into his sentence after he got help from three ex-convicts and his wife. He fled the country and lived in exile for 36 years, only returning to England in 2001.
10 Some of those involved were never identified
Although the police identified and arrested almost all the robbers and accomplices who took part in the great train robbery, a few men are said to have escaped the police dragnet. They included a senior security officer within Royal Mail, “The Ulsterman”, who was never identified, and three other accomplices.
They were identified as Harry Smith, Danny Pembroke, an unnamed fair-haired man, thought to be Jimmy Collins. Danny Pembroke was summoned and questioned by the police before he was left off the hook after no sufficient evidence tying him to the robbery was found.
In 2019, Pembroke’s son confirmed that his father was present during the robbery and he only avoided detection because he left no fingerprints at the hideout. In their book both Bruce Reynolds and Piers Paul Read refer to three robbers who got away as Bill Jennings, Alf Thomas, and Frank Monroe further deepening the mystery surrounding the true identity of the robbers who got away.
