Great train robbery (1963)
Mentmore Bridge (previously known as Bridego Bridge and then Train Robbers' bridge), scene of the robbery
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| Time | 3:00 am |
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| Date | 8 August 1963 |
| Location | Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Coordinates | 51°52′44″N 0°40′10″W / 51.87889°N 0.66944°WCoordinates: 51°52′44″N 0°40′10″W / 51.87889°N 0.66944°W |
| Also known as | Cheddington Mail Van Raid |
| Cause | Train robbery |
| Participants | Bruce Reynolds, Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards, Charlie Wilson, Jimmy Hussey, Ronnie Biggs, Tommy Wisbey, John Wheater, Jimmy White and Brian Field |
| Outcome | Theft of £2.6 million (the equivalent of £49 million today) |
| Non-fatal injuries | Jack Mills (train driver) |
| Charges | Conspiracy to rob, armed robbery, obstructing justice and receiving stolen goods |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | 11 men sentenced (Bill Boal and Lennie Field later exonerated) to terms up to 30 years |
The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of £2.6 million from a Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London in the early hours of Thursday, 8 August 1963, at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England.
After tampering with line signals, a 15-strong gang of robbers led by Bruce Reynolds attacked the train. Other gang members included Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards, Charlie Wilson, Roy James, John Daly, Jimmy White, Ronnie Biggs, Tommy Wisbey, Jim Hussey, Bob Welch and Roger Cordrey, as well as three men known only as numbers "1", "2" and "3". A 16th man, an unnamed retired train driver, was also present at the time of the robbery.
With careful planning based on inside information from an individual known as "The Ulsterman" (named as Patrick McKenna in 2014), the robbers got away with over £2.6 million (equivalent to £49.1 million today). The bulk of the stolen money was never recovered. Though the gang did not use any firearms, Jack Mills, the train driver, was beaten over the head with a metal bar. Mills' injuries were severe enough to end his career.
After the robbery, the gang hid at Leatherslade Farm. It was after the police found this hideout that incriminating evidence would lead to the eventual arrest and conviction of most of the gang. The ringleaders were sentenced to 30 years in jail.
The plan to intercept and rob the overnight Glasgow-to-London mail train was based on information from Patrick McKenna, a postal worker from Salford who had detailed knowledge of the amounts of money carried on Royal Mail trains. McKenna was introduced to two of the criminals who would carry out the raid — Gordon Goody and Buster Edwards — by London solicitor's clerk Brian Field. His name was kept secret, and he was known to the robbers only as "The Ulsterman".
The raid was devised over a period of months by a core team: Goody and Edwards, along with Bruce Reynolds, Charlie Wilson and Roy James, Reynolds assuming the role of "mastermind" for the robbery. This gang, although very successful in the criminal underworld, had virtually no experience in stopping and robbing trains. So it was agreed to enlist the help of another London gang called The South Coast Raiders. This group, which included Tommy Wisbey, Bob Welch and Jim Hussey, who were already accomplished train robbers, also included Roger Cordrey – a man who was a specialist in this field and knew how to rig the track-side signals to stop the train. Other associates (including Ronnie Biggs, a man Reynolds had previously met in jail) were added as the organisation evolved, and the final gang who took part in the raid comprised a total of 16 men.
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