Buster Edwards
| Buster Edwards | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ronald Christopher Edwards 27 January 1931 Lambeth, London, England |
| Died | 28 November 1994 (aged 63) Lambeth, London, England |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Buster |
| Occupation | Barman, florist |
| Criminal penalty | 15 years |
| Criminal status | Released in 1975 after serving nine years. |
| Spouse(s) | June Rose Rothery (1952, Lambeth -1994; his death) |
| Children | Nicolette (1961 - Lambeth) |
| Motive | Financial gain |
| Conviction(s) | Great Train Robbery |
Ronald Christopher "Buster" Edwards (27 January 1931 – 28 November 1994) was an English criminal who was a member of the gang that committed the Great Train Robbery. He had also been a boxer and nightclub owner.
Edwards was born in Lambeth, the son of a barman. He worked in a sausage factory after leaving school, where he began his criminal career by stealing meat to sell on the post-war black market. During his National Service in the RAF, he was detained for stealing cigarettes. When he returned to south London, he ran a drinking club and became a professional criminal.
He married June Rose in 1952. They had a daughter, Nicky.
He was involved in the theft of £62,000 (£1.19 million today) from Comet House, the headquarters of British Overseas Airways Corporation at Heathrow Airport, in 1962. Many of the gang were captured, but Edwards escaped arrest. Many from the same gang would go on to undertake the Great Train Robbery in August 1963.
The Great Train gang intercepted the Glasgow–London mail train in Buckinghamshire in the early hours of 8 August 1963. After tampering with the track-side signal lights, they stopped the train at Sears Crossing and moved the engine and high-value carriage to Bridego Bridge, near Cheddington, and they escaped with £2,600,000 of used banknotes (£49.1 million today). The driver, Jack Mills, was beaten over the head and suffered from related complications for the rest of his life—opinion is divided as to whether the injury was a factor in his death. The gang's temporary hideout at Leatherslade Farm was quickly found. Most of the gang were captured, tried, and imprisoned, but Edwards evaded arrest with his £150,000 share of the stolen money.
...
Wikipedia