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1963: The Great Train Robbery was the crime of the century.
The Great Train Robbery
What you need to know before your trail
The Great Train Robbery of 1963 is one of the most infamous crimes in British history. The bulk of the money stolen (equivalent to over £40 million today) has never been recovered, and there has not been a single year since 1963 when one aspect of the crime or its participants has not been featured in the media. Despite the wealth and extent of this coverage, a host of questions have remained unanswered: Who was behind the robbery? Was it an inside job? And who got away with the crime of the century?
Travel Guide
Buckinghamshire – the train from Glasgow to London
The Great Train Robbery was the crime of the century given that the sum of £2.6 million was taken from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London .
The crime, which had been meticulously planned for months by a gang of 15 was carried out in the early morning of 8 August 1963. The gang stopped the train at a signal box, moved the train a little up the track to the Bridego Railway Bridge, (now Mentmore bridge) Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire.
They stole £2.6 million, a lot more than they had expected to be on the train, and would be equivalent to £50 million today. The bulk of the stolen money was never recovered. The train driver was severely beaten and never worked again.
After the robbery, the gang hid at Leatherslade Farm.They left many clues behind which lead to the eventual arrest and conviction of most of the gang. The ringleaders were sentenced to 30 years in jail.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Great Train Robbery
Destination : London, Buckinghamshire, Mentmore Author/Guide: Andrew Cook Departure Time: 1963
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