Great Train Robbery

The Great Train Robbery took place near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. It happened on the West Coast Main Line where a Royal Mail train from Glasgow to London was stopped in the early hours of 8 August 1963. The robbery happened at Bridego Railway Bridge, close to Ledburn. The gang used a glove and a battery to change a signal from green to red so the train would stop. The train carried mail and money, with the high-value packages kept in a special carriage. The robbery was carefully planned over several months by a gang led by Bruce Reynolds. Other key figures included Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards and Charlie Wilson. The gang received inside information from an unnamed Royal Mail security officer known as "The Ulsterman". The stolen money was never fully recovered and most of the gang were later arrested and convicted. The driver, Jack Mills, was seriously injured during the robbery and never recovered from the trauma. Visitors to the area can see Bridego Railway Bridge where the robbery took place. The preserved high-value packages carriage is displayed at the Nene Valley Railway. The farm at Leatherslade, where the gang hid after the robbery, still stands about 27 miles from the crime scene. The landscape around Mentmore and Ledburn remains largely rural, offering a quiet contrast to the dramatic events of 1963. The site of the signal tampering at Sears Crossing can still be located along the line.