The Getaway
Upon reaching Bridego Bridge, the gang unloaded 120 sacks by creating a human chain and ordered a member of the Post Office staff not to move for half an hour. They drove along country roads and listened to police broadcasts on the radio before reaching their hideout at a rundown location called Leatherslade Farm. Then they divided the money into 16 equal shares after discounting some cash for other gang associates.
The order given to the Post Office staff member was a crucial mistake as the police quickly ascertained that the gang would be no more than 30 miles from the scene of the crime (the farm was 27 miles away). When the group learned this news, they moved their escape plan forward to Friday from Sunday. They needed new cars as their getaway vehicles were seen by the Post Office staff, so a couple of gang members traveled to London to find new vehicles.
A resident contacted the police after viewing the comings and goings at the farm as ‘suspicious.’ Although the robbers attempted to wipe their fingerprints clean at the scene, they hired someone called ‘Mark’ to clean the farm or burn it down to destroy the evidence. He failed to comply so when the police arrived, they easily found traces of the gang’s identity. For example, they found fingerprints on a Monopoly board as the robbers played the game using real money.
Despite the breakthrough, the investigation didn’t start well. However, things changed when a Train Robbery Squad was formed and led by the renowned ‘One Day’ Tommy Butler. After receiving the names of the gang from informants, the Squad started to pick up the criminals one by one. Roger Cordrey was the first to be apprehended just six days after the theft. Eight other members were captured by the end of 1963. Edwards surrendered to the police in 1966 after living in Mexico, while Butler caught Reynolds and Wilson in 1968.
Trials & Escapes
The majority of the gang members were tried in 1964 received extremely harsh prison sentences. Seven men were sentenced to 30 years in jail, two others received 25-year terms while Cordrey suffered a 20-year sentence and William Boal got 24 years in prison. One of the men, John Daly, was almost certainly involved in the crime but the court cleared him of wrongdoing. Some of the men escaped from prison, but only Biggs remained at large for an extended period. He escaped from jail in 1965, returned to Britain in 2001 and surrendered to the police. Biggs served the remainder of his sentence and was released in 2009.
At the time of writing, Bob Welch is the only known robber who is still alive. Investigators believe several others took part in the Great Train Robbery with names such as Bill Jennings, Alf Thomas, and Danny Pembroke mentioned. Although the police recovered less than £400,000, none of the gang fared well after the robbery. Wilson was murdered in 1990, James, Hussey, and Wisbey spent more time in prison, while Edwards committed suicide in 1994.
Keep Reading:
Mirror UK – The Great Train Robbery: How it happened?
The Guardian – Great Train Robber who got away will be named
The Guardian – Has the Great Train Robbery’s leader finally been unmasked?
Huff Post – The Great Train Robbery: What happened to the robbers?