Reynolds however, had
another plan up his sleeve...
The area is liberally peppered with genteel villages such
as Leckhampstead and Adstock, where thatched cottages
and red telephone boxes rub shoulders with low beamed,
flagstone-floored pubs such as the Unicorn in Cublington
(
theunicornpub.co.uk
)
and the Old Thatched Inn in
Adstock (
theoldthatchedinn.co.uk
).
These are terrific
places to while away a Sunday afternoon, feasting on
superior pub grub, such as artichoke tartlet and pork
belly. It’s useful to know that both of these hostelries are
open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, if you’re
considering your own pilgrimage.
It’s a beautiful area, typical of the best of the English
countryside. There are no chain hotels here, just family-
run bed and breakfasts, such as Weatherhead Farm
(
weatherheadfarm.co.uk
),
a working cattle farm in
Leckhampstead where immense cooked breakfasts are
served up by the owner, Caroline. And there’s much to see
nearby too. Within a few miles lies Bletchley Park, the
vast sprawling former intelligence complex, now a
museum, which tells the story of how British agents
solved the Nazi Enigma code during the Second World
War. And in the village of Great Missenden lies the Roald
Dahl museum, hugely popular with families.
But back to the robbery. Before a meeting with retired
policeman John Woolley, who worked on the case at the
time, I took a walk through the Weatherhead fields to soak
up this tranquil landscape that hasn’t changed an iota.
“
I think what sticks in my mind after all these years
is just the sheer audacity of it,” says Woolley who, in
1963,
was a 24-year-old constable in the nearby village
of Brill. “The public really did have a ‘good luck to ’em’
attitude about the gang at the time, and there were lots
of rumours that the money they stole was on its way to be
destroyed at the Royal Mint anyway. This was nonsense!”
Over months, Reynolds and his gang had explored to
find the most suitable spot to stop the mail train as it made
its overnight journey from Glasgow to London. They knew
that on a bank-holiday weekend it would be full of money,
yet virtually empty of passengers.
»
CRIME OF THE CENTURY
01
(
Previous page) Police
with sacks of money from
the train
02
Bridego Railway Bridge,
site of the train robbery
03
Aerial view of the Glasgow
to London route
04
Police detectives at
Leatherslade Farm
05
The police investigate the
scene of the crime
06
Train driver Jack Mills after
being hit on the head by
the gang
05
04
06
0 9 3
C R I M E S T O R Y
L O N D O N
