The Great Train Robbery
Up until the Great Train Robbery on 8 August 1963, Britain had a proud record of operating a vast rail network without a single major robbery. The robbery shocked the nation because of the enormous amount of money stolen and the vicious attack on the train driver, Jack Mills.
At around 3am, a gang of robbers boarded a 12 carriage train from Glasgow Central Station to London Euston Station carrying 72 Post Office staff. The gang stopped the train and broke into the Travelling Post Office coach which was carrying 128 sacks of High Value Packets, all with noticeable - and easily identifiable - red HVP labels attached. A staggering 120 sacks containing 636 High Value Packets were stolen in the robbery. The money enclosed in the missing packets totalled £2,595,997.10s.0d which is the equivalent to over £45 million today.
Immediately following the robbery, the Post Office’s internal policing department, the Investigation Branch, was called into action. Every available member of staff was put on the case. The Post Office also put up a reward of £10,000 which eventually helped lead to the discovery of the criminals’ hideout at Leatherslade Farm near Oakley in Buckinghamshire.
