Uncovering the Story of the Great Train Robbery 1963

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One of the most daring heists in history was carried out by a squad of robbers in the early hours of August 8, 1963. They stole £2.6 million in cash from a Royal Mail train that was traveling from Glasgow to London; this sum would be comparable to about £50 million in today’s money. The Great Train Robbery, as it became known, captured the attention of the entire globe and has been a significant cultural event ever since.

The Great Train Robbers (from left): Buster Edwards, Tom Wisbey, Jim White, Bruce Reynolds, Roger Cordrey, Charlie Wilson and Jim Hussey, with copies of their book The Train Robbers in 1979. — The Great Train Robbers (from left): Buster Edwards, Tom Wisbey, Jim White, Bruce Reynolds, Roger Cordrey, Charlie Wilson, and Jim Hussey, with copies of their book *The Train Robbers* in 1979.

15 guys made up the crew that committed the robbery, and Bruce Reynolds served as their leader. They had planned the crime for months, researching the train’s schedule and surveying the area. On the night of the robbery, they attacked the train’s employees, halted the train by tampering with a signal, and stole the cash. They left almost little evidence behind because the robbery was so carefully organized.

The robbery’s aftermath was just as exciting as the heist itself. The police began a large manhunt to find the offenders, and within months, the majority of the gang had been apprehended and prosecuted. The gang’s flamboyant leader, Bruce Reynolds, rose to the status of a folk hero as a result of the trial, which caused a media sensation. Despite the fascination the public had with the thieves, the majority of them were eventually apprehended and given hefty prison sentences. The robbery led to a significant increase in security measures on trains, particularly the transportation of large sums of money.

The Robbers

S.N	Name	Age on day of robbery	Born	Died	Role in the Gang	Association	At the scene	Loot split	Captured	Left Prison
1	Bruce Richard Reynolds	31	7 September 1931	28 February 2013	Leader of the gang	Leader of the South West Gang	Yes	1/17	8 November 1968	1978
2	Douglas Gordon Goody	33	11 March 1930	29 January 2016	Deputy and organizer	Member of the South West Gang	Yes	1/17	3 October 1963	23 December 1975
3	Charles Frederick Wilson	31	30 June 1932	23 April 1990 (assassinated)	“Treasurer” and organizer	Member of the South West Gang	Yes	1/17	22 August 1963(Initial) 24 January 1968 (Recaptured)	12 August 1964 (Escaped) 15 September 1978 (Last one released)
4	Ronald Christopher Edwards	32	27 January 1931	28 November 1994 (possibly suicide)	Organiser	Member of the South West Gang	Yes	1/17	19 September 1966 (Voluntary)	April 1975
5	Brian Arthur Field	29	15 December 1934	27 April 1979 (car crash)	Key informant and organizer of the mock purchase of Leatherslade Farm, the gang’s hideout	Solicitor’s clerk and organized the defense of Gordon Goody and Buster Edwards in previous court cases	No	1/17	15 September 1963	1967
6	Ulsterman possibly Patrick McKenna or Sammy Osterman				Key informant and organizer	Contact with Gordon Goody and Buster Edwards was arranged through another man who contacted Brian Field	No	1/17
7	Roy John James	28	30 August 1935	21 August 1997	Getaway driver and carriage uncoupler	Associate of South West Gang	Yes	1/17	10 December 1963	August 1975
8	John Thomas Daly	32	6 June 1931	April 2013	Train stopper and getaway driver	Brother-in-law of Reynolds and associate of South West Gang	Yes	1/17	3 December 1963	N/A Acquitted 14 February 1964
9	Unconfirmed Believed to be Henry Thomas Smith				Carriage uncoupler	Associate of South West Gang	Yes	1/17
10	James Edward White	43	21 February 1920	Before 2000	Quartermaster and carriage uncoupler	Generally, a solitary thief who knew Reynolds	Yes	1/17	21 April 1966	April 1975
11	Identity unknown				Muscle	Associate of Jimmy White	Yes	1/17
12	Roger John Cordrey	42	30 May 1921	2011	Train stopper and electronics expert	Leader of the South Coast Raiders	Yes	1/17	14 August 1963	April 1971
13	Robert Welch	34	12 March 1929	N/A	Muscle	South Coast Raiders	Yes	1/17	25 October 1963	June 1976
14	Thomas William Wisbey	33	27 April 1930	30 December 2016	Muscle	South Coast Raiders	Yes	1/17	11 September 1963	February 1976
15	James Hussey	31	8 April 1933	12 November 2012 (died in a hospice)	Muscle	South Coast Raiders	Yes	1/17	7 September 1963	1975
16	Danny Pembroke	27	1936	2015	Muscle	South Coast Raiders	Yes	1/17
17	Ronald Arthur Biggs	34	8 August 1929	18 December 2013	Contact for replacement train driver	Associate of Reynolds	Yes	1/17	4 September 1963(Initial capture) 7 May 2001(Voluntary return to UK)	8 July 1965 (Escaped) 7 August 2009 (Total time Served: 3,875 days)
18	Identity unknown	67			Replacement train driver (failed)	via Ronnie Biggs	Yes

Source: Wikipedia // Great Train Robbery (1963)

In addition to being a brilliant theft, The Great Train Robbery marked a shift in how society viewed crime. A well-liked literary and cinematic stereotype is the lovable rogue, the charming robber who exclusively targets the wealthy. The Great Train Robbery served as the inspiration for a large number of subsequent heist films, such as the masterpieces Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job.

The Great Train Robbery is still revered in modern society as a symbol of human ingenuity and bravery. It’s a tale that has gripped the hearts and minds of many people over the years and that still motivates writers, filmmakers, and creatives of all types today.