Why a Booktrail?
1952: An elaborate midnight heist, the biggest robbery in British history.
White City
What you need to know before your trail
It’s 1952, and London is victorious but broken, a city of war ruins and rationing, run by gangsters and black-market spivs.
An elaborate midnight heist, the biggest robbery in British history, sends newspapers into a frenzy. Politicians are furious, the police red-faced. They have suspicions but no leads. Hunches but no proof.
For two families, it is more than just a sensational headline, as their fathers fail to return home on the day of the robbery.
Travel Guide
Eastcastle Street Robbery
The Eastcastle Street Robbery was a post office van heist in London in 1952 that was never solved:
Wednesday, May 21, 1952 at around 4:20 AM
Eastcastle Street, central London, near Oxford Street
Seven masked men used two cars to surround the van, dragging out the driver and attendants, and stealing the van
An estimated £287,000, which is worth about £8,320,000 today
The van was abandoned near Regent’s Park, and 18 of the 31 mailbags were missing
The mastermind was London gangster Billy Hill, and other robbers included George “Taters” Chatham and Terry “Lucky Tel” Hogan
BookTrail Boarding Pass: White City
Destination/Location: London Author/guide: Dominic Nolan Departure: 1952
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