Great Train Robbery evidence to be auctioned

Evidence from the police investigation into the Great Train Robbery is to go under the hammer.

Crime scene photographs, police communications and memorabilia that led to the capture and prosecutions of those involved will be up for sale at C&T Auctioneers in Kenardington, Kent, on Sunday.

The collection is from the estate of the late Det Ch Supt Ernest Millen, from the Flying Squad who took over the investigation when the severity of the robbery became clearer.

Vince Scopes, from the auctioneers, said: "It's important because we have potentially unseen photographs and published words to do with the Great Train Robbery that have survived all this time."



On 8 August 1963, 15 men stole £2.6m from a Royal Mail train near Cheddington, Buckinghamshire, after tampering with signal lights.

While most of the group were eventually caught and convicted, a few involved escaped or were never conclusively identified.

"They took just 15 minutes to unload 120 sacks of money," Mr Scopes said. "The cash weighed two and a half tonnes, which was loaded into two parked Land Rovers, which you can see in the police evidence photos."

The majority of stolen money was never recovered.

The evidence up for auction was part of the police investigation that led to the ringleaders and accomplices of the gang of men being sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The lots include Det Ch Supt Millen's warrant card, press clippings, an unpublished manuscript and a detailed briefing document outlining his involvement in plans for Sir Winston Churchill's state funeral in 1965.

Mr Scopes said: "I can see heavy interest with this as it's the most well-known heist of the 20th Century. The story has been televised, it's been written about and it's going to draw in those people which are interested in the Great Train Robbery and other respects of police memorabilia."

And the "great storm" of 1987.

We still talk of the "the Great War", a name given over a hundred years ago when usage was slightly different to today. Which reminds us that this train robbery was closer in time, and quite possibly in terms of use of the word "great", to the end of WW1 than to today.

We still talk of the "the Great War", a name given over a hundred years ago when usage was slightly different to today. Which reminds us that this train robbery was closer in time, and quite possibly in terms of use of the word "great", to the end of WW1 than to today.

I agree nothing great or heroic about it, Jack Mills never fully recovered from his injuries

Two isolated incidents, or are mail train robberies a daily thing?

Probably worth the annual reminder that very few in the railway refer to the 1963 event as “great”.

Nah - but your could  bring this to their attention: http://www.passenger.chat/foss8.html

Should I warn Thames Valley Police to be on the lookout for a suspicious  character from Wiltshire hanging around Train Robber Bridge in Buckinghamshire ? 

Preparing for the 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery on 8th August 1963 ...

came across this modern day equivalent from today's Daily Record


Two isolated incidents, or are mail train robberies a daily thing?

Two teens accused of trying to steal mail from a Royal Mail train near Lockerbie
Officers for the British Transport Police said a signal box had also been damaged which forced the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Lockerbie and Carlisle for several hours.

I must admit I feel a little uncomfortable about people profiting from this.

Great Train Robbery memorabilia sold at auction


The sale demonstrated the "enduring appeal" of the robbery, said auctioneer Jonathan Humbert

Monopoly money used by the Great Train Robbers as they lay low in the aftermath of the raid has been sold at auction, along with various other items associated with the infamous heist.

The money, used in a game played while the gang was holed up at a remote farm near Aylesbury, made over ^400.

A watch worn by Ronnie Biggs during the 1963 raid went for ^900, while a ^1 note taken by the robbers fetched ^750.

They were among dozens of lots sold, fetching a total of about ^20,000.

An ignition key and petrol caps from getaway vehicles and a length of wire used to alter railway signals were among other items sold to various buyers in the UK, America and Japan.

Jonathan Humbert, of J P Humbert Auctioneers in Towcester, Northamptonshire, said the sale demonstrated "the enduring appeal of this most audacious robbery".

Bruce Reynolds planned the attack, at Mentmore Bridge in Buckinghamshire, on an overnight mail train travelling from Glasgow to London on 8 August 1963.

The gang of 15 wearing helmets and ski masks made off with ^2.6m in used banknotes - worth some ^40m today - a then-record haul.

Train driver Jack Mills was struck over the head during the robbery and never worked again. He died in 1970.

Reynolds evaded capture for five years but eventually spent 10 years in jail. He died in February 2013.

Biggs, who died aged 84 in December 2013, was jailed for 25 years but escaped from prison in 1965 and fled to Australia and then Brazil. He eventually returned to the UK to serve out his sentence.


The ^2.6m haul of used banknotes was stolen in 30 minutes

The Great Train Robbery has been re-created in miniature by a group of model railway enthusiasts.


Built by the Luton Model Railway Club, the diorama depicts the night in August 1963 when a gang of robbers stole ^2.6m from a night train in Buckinghamshire.

Scenes depicted include bags of cash being unloaded from a carriage and the robbers making off with their swag.

The club said it did not condone what happened, but felt the infamous heist would "make an interesting display".

'Part of the national consciousness'

It was at 03:00 BST on 8 August that the train travelling between Glasgow and London Euston was stopped by the gang on a bridge between Linslade and Cheddington.

They broke into the High Value Package coach and made off with 120 mailbags weighing about two and a half tonnes stuffed with ^2.6m in used banknotes (about ^41m in today's money).


The model railway enthusiasts were inspired by last year's 50th anniversary of the infamous raid, and it took them a year to complete their homage.

Nigel Adams, from the club, said: "We do not condone the actions of the event, but it is a fact that the Great Train Robbery has become a part of the national consciousness for many people over a certain age.

"We have tried to portray this event in a sensitive way, taking due regard for the injuries sustained by the locomotive crew on the night."

The diorama features sound and lighting effects "to portray the account of the event", said Mr Adams.

"There are 15 figures on the display, although we have taken care to present them as just that - figures on a model.

"We do not identify any 'personalities' due to the sensitive nature of the subject."

The historical reconstruction, which includes a commentary, will be on display at Stopsley High School, Luton on Saturday and at the National Festival of Railway Modelling in Peterborough in October.

the 1967 film used the Market Harborough to Rugby line.