Great Train Robbery evidence bag (1963)
On 8 August 1963, a gang of robbers stopped a 12 carriage train from Glasgow Central Station to London Euston. The robbers broke into the Travelling Post Office coach and stole £2,595,997.10s.0d which is the equivalent to over £45 million today.
The entire Post Office Investigation Branch was put on the case with the company putting up a reward of £10,000 to find the robbers. This reward led to the discovery of the criminals’ hideout at Leatherslade Farm near Oakley in Buckinghamshire.
Evidence from the following court case was retained by Royal Mail after the trial. This High Value Packet (HVP) wrapper was found alongside other items in the abandoned hide-out of the robbers. The ability to identify fingerprints on paper had only recently been perfected so this evidence proved crucial.
