The train was stopped by a signal that had been changed from green to red using batteries, according to the Evening Standard. It was just after 3 a.m. on Aug. 8, 1963, and the Royal Mail train had left Glasgow the evening before, per Grunge.
The Glasgow-to-London train was held up near Bridego Bridge, north of London, according to Britannica. The gang fled within 30 minutes, Evening Standard reported.
It was a gang of 15 men, per Grunge. They took £2.6 million, mostly in used or small bank notes, packed into about 120 mailbags, according to Britannica and Grunge.
Estimates of that sum in today’s money vary. The Evening Standard gave figures of around £60 million and about £46 million.
Train driver Jack Mills was struck on the head during the robbery, Grunge reported. Crime + Investigation says he never fully recovered and died seven years later.
The gang drove to Leatherslade Farm in Oakley, Buckinghamshire, and meant to stay for several weeks, according to History Revealed. Low-flying RAF aircraft alarmed them, and they left sooner than planned, per the outlet. Grunge says they left before they could burn the farm down or finish burying the bags.
Police found the farm on Aug. 13, 1963, per The National Archives.
Twelve of the 15 men were arrested within weeks, Grunge reported. Several received sentences of 30 years, according to The National Archives.
Some escaped. One of them was Charlie Wilson, who broke out of prison on Aug. 12, 1964, about four months into his sentence, Grunge reported. Another was Ronnie Biggs, who escaped from Wandsworth Prison in 1965, per Britannica, and lived in Brazil for 36 years, according to Grunge. He returned to England in 2001 and was rearrested, Britannica reported. After a series of strokes, he was released in 2009, per Grunge.
Bruce Reynolds, the gang’s leader, fled to Mexico with a fake passport and was arrested after returning to England in 1968, according to Grunge.
The money was another story. “The authorities only recovered about 10 percent of the cash,” Grunge reported, attributing the figure to Smithsonian Magazine. The Evening Standard said most of the cash has never been recovered.
Another famous theft is a 1990 art heist by two fake cops that lasted 81 minutes.
Related: On Dec. 11, 1978, a crew linked to the Lucchese crime family robbed a Lufthansa cargo building at JFK Airport; none of the $5.8 million they stole was ever recovered
Hence then, the article about on aug 8 1963 a gang of 15 robbed a london bound royal mail train of 2 6 million police recovered only about 10 of the cash was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( On Aug. 8, 1963, a gang of 15 robbed a London-bound Royal Mail train of £2.6 million; police recovered only about 10% of the cash )
Also on site :
- Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 to help fund the critical early research behind Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
- In 1984, Alabama Released the Wrong Song as a Single; Radio DJs Flipped the Record Over and Made the B-Side Their 14th Straight No. 1
- Who Went Home on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tonight? Season 35 Week 8 Results and Eliminations (Spoilers)