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Great Train Robbery

Published September 17, 2026Updated September 26, 2026
Aug 7, 1963

Up Special departs Glasgow

At about 6:50 p.m., the Glasgow-to-Euston Travelling Post Office service left Glasgow Central. Because of the Scottish bank-holiday period, its High Value Package carriage held an unusually large cash consignment.

View sequence of events
  1. about 6:50 p.m.
    The Up Special Travelling Post Office leaves Glasgow Central for Euston with the High Value Package carriage carrying an unusually large banknote consignment after the Scottish bank-holiday weekend.
  2. overnight
    Mail sorters work aboard the moving train while the high-value sacks remain in the locked carriage; the train continues south on its scheduled route.
Aug 8, 1963

False signal stops the train

Shortly after 3 a.m. on 8 August, Mills stopped at a false red signal. Whitby went to the lineside telephone and was seized; Mills was coshed in the cab. The robbers detached the rear train, then forced Mills to move the locomotive and two high-value carriages to Bridego Bridge when their substitute driver could not operate it.

View sequence of events
  1. about 1 a.m.
    The gang leaves its base at Leatherslade Farm and drives to Sears Crossing. Thames Valley Police records that the robbery took place a day later than first planned.
  2. before 3:03 a.m.
    The robbers make the signal show red using a glove and a six-volt battery, and cut the lineside telephone cable.
  3. 3:03 a.m.
    The Up Special stops at Sears Crossing. David Whitby climbs down to contact the signalman, finds the phone cable cut, and is attacked and thrown down the embankment.
  4. immediately after
    A masked robber enters the cab and coshes Jack Mills, rendering him unconscious. The gang uncouples most of the train, leaving the locomotive with the front two carriages, including the High Value Package carriage.
  5. next
    The gang’s intended driver cannot handle the large diesel locomotive. Ronnie Biggs rouses Mills, and the injured driver is forced to move the locomotive and two carriages toward Bridego Bridge.
Aug 8, 1963

£2.6 million unloaded at Bridego Bridge

At Bridego Bridge, the robbers unloaded about 120 sacks of banknotes from the High Value Package carriage into waiting Land Rovers. Contemporary totals vary: British Transport Police gives £2.3 million, while £2,631,784 is widely reported.

View sequence of events
  1. after 3:03 a.m.
    Mills drives the locomotive and two detached carriages about half a mile from Sears Crossing to Bridego Bridge, where the gang’s vehicles are waiting.
  2. during the transfer
    The robbers form a human chain and move roughly 120 sacks, about two and a half tons in total, from the High Value Package carriage into the vehicles.
  3. before leaving
    The gang tells the mail staff to remain still for 30 minutes. That instruction later helps investigators estimate how far away the hideout could be.
  4. by about 4:15 a.m.
    The gang reaches Leatherslade Farm as the alarm reaches the signalman. The reported value differs by source: BTP states £2.3 million; £2,631,784 is another commonly cited total.
Aug 8, 1963

Gang reaches Leatherslade Farm

The robbers drove to the rented farm, divided much of the proceeds and remained there briefly. Items later left behind created the investigation's most important forensic scene.

View sequence of events
  1. by about 4:15 a.m., 8 August
    The gang returns to its rented farmhouse at Leatherslade Farm, about a 30-minute drive from the robbery scene.
  2. at the farm
    The robbers celebrate, divide the cash and play Monopoly using stolen notes. They leave fingerprints on objects including the Monopoly set and a ketchup bottle.
  3. following days
    The gang expects to lie low, but reports that police are searching farms within a 30-mile radius frighten them into leaving earlier than planned.
  4. after the gang leaves
    An accomplice who was supposed to burn the farmhouse fails to do so. Food, bedding, mail sacks, wrappers and other handled items remain for police to examine.
Aug 8, 1963

Alarm reaches the signalman

The gang cut the lineside telephone cable, delaying the alarm. By 4:15 a.m. it had reached the signalman; by then the robbers were arriving back at Leatherslade Farm.

View sequence of events
  1. after the robbery
    The mail staff wait at the scene after being told not to move for 30 minutes, while railway communications are disrupted by the cut telephone cable.
  2. 4:15 a.m.
    The alarm reaches the signalman. Thames Valley Police places this at roughly the same time the robbers are arriving back at Leatherslade Farm.
  3. that morning
    Police begin the response at the railway scene and coordinate inquiries across the area; Mills and Whitby receive medical attention for their injuries.
Aug 13, 1963

Police find the hideout

Acting on information from a nearby resident, police entered Leatherslade Farm. Mailbags, banknote wrappers, provisions and numerous fingerprints were recovered.

View sequence of events
  1. 13 August 1963
    A local resident reports suspicious activity at the rented farmhouse. PC John Wooley attends and finds the property abandoned.
  2. initial search
    Police find substantial provisions, sleeping bags and bedding, Post Office sacks, registered-mail packages and banknote wrappers.
  3. forensic examination
    Fingerprint specialists examine the farmhouse, outbuildings and objects, including the Monopoly set and a ketchup bottle. The prints and other inquiries help identify and convict principal offenders.
Jan 20, 1964

Main trial opens at Aylesbury Assizes

Proceedings began before Mr Justice Edmund Davies. The prosecution relied heavily on fingerprints and other links to the farm, alongside evidence tracing money and preparations.

View sequence of events
  1. 20 January 1964
    The principal trial opens at Aylesbury Assizes before Mr Justice Edmund Davies.
  2. during the trial
    Prosecutors present fingerprints and other evidence connecting defendants with the Leatherslade Farm hideout and the robbery preparations.
  3. April 1964
    The proceedings lead to convictions and sentencing of twelve defendants.
Apr 16, 1964

Twelve defendants receive sentences totalling 307 years

Seven men convicted on the principal robbery and conspiracy counts received 30-year terms. Other defendants received shorter terms for their respective roles; the severity of the sentences prompted later debate.

View sequence of events
  1. 16 April 1964
    Twelve defendants are sentenced after the principal trial.
  2. sentencing
    Seven men convicted on the main robbery and conspiracy counts receive 30-year terms; other defendants receive shorter terms for their convictions.
  3. aftermath
    The sentences total 307 years and draw public and parliamentary criticism for their severity.
Aug 12, 1964

Charlie Wilson escapes from Winson Green

Accomplices broke Wilson out of prison. He fled abroad and was arrested in Canada in January 1968.

View sequence of events
  1. 12 August 1964
    Accomplices stage a prison break at Winson Green and Wilson escapes.
  2. after the escape
    Wilson goes abroad and remains at large until he is found in Canada.
Jul 8, 1965

Ronnie Biggs escapes from Wandsworth

Biggs escaped over the prison wall with outside assistance, beginning a 36-year flight through several countries.

View sequence of events
  1. 8 July 1965
    Biggs escapes from Wandsworth Prison with outside assistance, climbing over the prison wall.
  2. after the escape
    He moves through several countries during a long period as a fugitive, eventually settling in Brazil.
Apr 1, 1966

Jimmy White is captured

White was arrested after nearly three years at large and later received an 18-year sentence.

View sequence of events
  1. April 1966
    White is arrested after nearly three years at large.
  2. later proceedings
    He is convicted and receives an 18-year sentence.
Sep 1, 1966

Buster Edwards returns to Britain

Edwards returned voluntarily after living abroad and was sentenced to 15 years for his role.

View sequence of events
  1. September 1966
    Edwards returns voluntarily to Britain after living abroad.
  2. later proceedings
    He is sentenced to 15 years for his part in the robbery.
Jan 1, 1968

Charlie Wilson is recaptured in Canada

British and Canadian authorities located Wilson in Quebec and returned him to custody.

View sequence of events
  1. January 1968
    Wilson is located in Canada after more than three years as a fugitive.
  2. after arrest
    He is returned to Britain to face the remainder of his sentence.
Nov 1, 1968

Bruce Reynolds is arrested

Reynolds was captured in England after more than five years at large.

View sequence of events
  1. November 1968
    Reynolds is arrested in England after more than five years at large.
  2. following arrest
    His capture closes one of the longest-running manhunts for a principal member of the gang.
Jan 1, 1969

Bruce Reynolds receives 25 years

Following his arrest and guilty plea, Reynolds was sentenced to 25 years—one of the later sentences contrasted in Parliament with the 30-year main-trial terms.

View sequence of events
  1. January 1969
    Reynolds pleads guilty after his arrest.
  2. sentencing
    He receives a 25-year term, shorter than the 30 years imposed on several defendants at the main trial.
May 7, 2001

Ronnie Biggs returns and is imprisoned

Biggs voluntarily returned from Brazil and was taken back into custody to continue serving his sentence.

View sequence of events
  1. 7 May 2001
    Biggs returns voluntarily from Brazil and is taken into custody in Britain.
  2. after return
    He resumes serving the sentence imposed for the robbery.
Aug 6, 2009

Ronnie Biggs receives compassionate release

Biggs was released on compassionate grounds because of severe illness, four years before his death.

View sequence of events
  1. 6 August 2009
    Biggs is released from prison on compassionate grounds because of severe illness.
  2. after release
    He remains out of prison until his death in 2013.