The Great Train Robbery

by Andrew Cook

  He told me that there weren’t any. I said, ‘Are you the new owner?’ and he said, ‘No. I’m just one of the decorators’. I said, ‘Well when do you think the new owners are going to come up here? He said ‘He won’t be up here for quite a long time’. I said, ‘who is the new owner?’ He said, ‘Mr Fielding of Aylesbury. If you want to get in touch with the firm who sold it to him, get in touch with Midland Marts, the auctioneers of Banbury.’ We then had a bit of conversation about the possibility of me renting a field in the future, as we walked up to the house. I didn’t go in though. Sitting in a deckchair was a middle aged man.14 He was sitting outside the door nearest the french window. I also saw two little mattresses, with a book on each, lying on the ground, inflated, a few yards, from the deckchair. The man I was with told me that the inside of the house was in a bad condition. I thought this was strange because only just before Mr Rixon left, I had seen the inside of the house and it appeared to me to be in good condition. We said goodbye to each other and I left, and returned to my fields. Each morning up to and including Sunday, I saw smoke coming from the chimneys, but I don’t remember seeing smoke after then. On several days I heard the sounds of metal being hammered. I think I remember there being a fire outside the house but I’m not sure. I would describe the man to whom I spoke as being about 20–30 years of age, 6’ 0” tall, medium build, dark hair, very fresh face, wearing glasses. He was wearing white shorts, mauve shirt, red shoes. He spoke rather like a gentleman as opposed to a workman – the man who was with the man I have just described and who walked away as I said, I’m afraid I didn’t see him again unless it was he who was sitting in the deckchair when I reached it. Now the man in the deckchair was aged about 50–60 years, very full in the body and face, ruddy complexion, fair grey hair. He was wearing white shorts and mauve shirt.15

  Wyatt was not the only person who had witnessed the arrival of the ‘new owners’ and had seen them at close quarters. That same day, Wednesday 7 August, Brian Currington, a tractor driver employed on the farm adjoining Leatherslade Farm, had stood only a few yards away from three members of the gang as their Land Rover vehicle arrived and stopped at the farm gate:

  On Wednesday 7 August I first saw a Land Rover at the gate of Leatherslade Farm. The driver squeezed through between my tractor and the gate. I stood nearby when one of the three men in the Land Rover got out to open the gate. I described him as follows: 6’ 0”, medium build, 25–30 years, no hat, fair to blond hair, tidily cut with parting on left side. I think it was combed back. He had a pale complexion with fairly sharp features. He was wearing a sports jacket – a green check – with a faint brown background. The trousers were gabardine – nicely creased and matched the jacket but were a plain colour. He had a smooth cultured accent which I think was natural. I had not seen him before. He had well manicured hands which were not accustomed to work. He seemed very polite. I would most certainly recognise him again. I saw this man three times in all. The second time was when I saw him leaving the farm after the robbery in some sort of vehicle, which I cannot describe. I last saw him on Friday, 9 August but I cannot recall what time of day it was. He was at the farm entrance after having got out of a vehicle which went towards Bicester. I then left the farm on the tractor and turned left towards Long Crendon. When near King’s Lane, which is a half mile from the farm entrance, I saw this man walking along the main road towards Long Crendon. He was wearing the same clothes I had first seen him in. He did turn and I gained the impression that he was expecting someone to pick him up. We passed the time of day and I have not seen him since.

  There were two other men in the Land Rover. I can only give brief details of the driver. He was about 25–30 years of age and about medium build. He had dark hair, brushed back. A tanned complexion or weather beaten. I only had a side view of him and I noticed his ears were small and close to his head. I think he had a dark sports coat on but I cannot be sure. They drove up to the farmhouse and as they went by I noticed the Land Rover was loaded right up to the roof – it was bulging – but it was fully covered and I could not see what was in it. There were 2 suitcases on the back – on the tail board which was down – they were light grey in colour and very large.

  From then until Saturday, 10 August 1963, my work kept me in the vicinity of the farm. I have a faint recollection of seeing the Land Rover leave the farm later on the Wednesday 7 August. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday I would have been in the vicinity of the farm from 9 am until 5 pm each day.

  I saw nothing on the Thursday but on Friday 9 August I gained the impression that vehicles were leaving although I saw only one van. This van was an enclosed van, of Bedford 50 cwt type; it was not a dormobile. It was a dull grey in colour with windows at the back. I saw this leaving the farm I think in the afternoon as it turned right into the village at Oakley. I cannot say who was in it. After I had seen this van leave it seemed very quiet. I later noticed that the tracks I had made with my tractor were then undisturbed. On Friday, 9 August I was in the vicinity of the gates entrance to Leatherslade Farm every 20 minutes or so and from late in the afternoon of that day things seemed very quiet. I recall that when I first saw the Land Rover on the Wednesday, 7 August, I remember the fair haired man addressing the driver of the Land Rover as ‘Barry’ or ‘Gary’.

  This last comment was of particular interest to the police, who already had knowledge of an individual they suspected was the Land Rover driver. According to DCS Butler, very shortly after the robbery, ‘several names of men physically involved in the offence were given to another officer and myself. One of these was Henry Thomas Smith, CRO No 1551/1947, who was living at 262 Fieldgate Mansions, Stepney, a poorly furnished flat.’

  The police mused that it could well be that Brian Currington was mistaken and that it was ‘Harry’ not ‘Barry or Gary’ that he had overheard. It was therefore decided to immediately take out a warrant to search Smith’s flat and bring him in for questioning. This was to be undertaken by three officers with support outside the flat.

  DS Jack Slipper’s statement explains that:

  On the 14 August 1963 at 2.45 pm with Detective Sergeants Moore and Caple, I went to 262 Fieldgate Mansions, Stepney, a first floor flat occupied by Henry Thomas Smith, CRO No 1551/1947, and Margaret Wade, his common-law wife. Margaret Wade, who was alone in the flat, opened the door. I told her we were police officers and that I had a warrant authorising us to search the premises for stolen bank notes. We entered and searched the premises but with negative result. Mrs Wade indicated that Smith was due home at any time. We remained on the premises and at 3.45 pm the telephone rang. Mrs Wade picked up the phone and said, ‘Steam Company. No you must have the wrong number’. She then replaced the receiver. It was obvious that the caller did not have the wrong number and no doubt it was Smith himself. At 4.45 pm the telephone again rang. I picked up the receiver and said, ‘Bishopsgate 5235’. There was a short pause and the caller said, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘I’m a police officer. Are you Harry Smith, the occupier of this flat?’ The caller said, ‘Yes, why?’ I said, ‘I would like to see you about a certain matter’. The caller said, ‘What’s it all about? Is it about my brother’s bother?’ I said, ‘I don’t intend to discuss it over the phone. Are you coming home?’ The caller said, ‘Yes, I’ll be there in half an hour’. He then rang off.

  At 5 pm the telephone rang again. I picked up the receiver and said, ‘Bishopsgate 5235’. The caller said, ‘Harry here. Look I know it’s nothing to do with my brother - you’ve had your card marked. You want me for the train job. If you give me your name I’ll get a mate of mine to see you’. I said, ‘I want to see you’. The caller said, ‘You know I can’t afford to see you.’ I said, ‘You’ve got three young children here, you can’t stay away forever’. The caller said, ‘I know that but I’m still not coming and I’ll take some finding’. The caller then rang off. We then left the premises. Observations were kept on the premises for the following two weeks and Margaret Wade was followed away on two occasions
but Smith was not seen.16

  Having combed the farm property for clues and interviewed the local inhabitants, the police now turned their attention to how the gang came to acquire the farm in the first place. According to DS McArthur, among the first to be interviewed were Bernard Rixon and his agent Douglas Earle:

  Douglas Anthony Earle is the manager of the Branch Office at Market Square, Bicester of Midland Marts Ltd, the agents who acted for Rixon in the sale of his farm to Field. As Wheater contacted Rixon direct Earle had very little to do with the transaction and did not meet the purchaser. On 23 July 1963, he received a letter and the cheque for the deposit, amount £555, which was drawn on the account of James and Wheater. The cheque was paid into his Company’s account at Barclays Bank Limited, Bicester. Joyce Winifred McRoberts of 5, Withington Road, Bicester, is a secretary employed by Midland Marts Limited who describes the visit, in the early part of July 1963, of a man giving the name Richards17 who wanted particulars of a farm for sale at Brill. Her description of this man could fit one of the train robbers but does not fit either of the Fields.18

  Police attention now turned to the solicitors who represented the buyers, John Wheater and his managing clerk, Brian Field. McArthur set out in some detail the outcome of interviews with the pair and the growing suspicion that they were not all they initially seemed to be:

  Wheater stated that one Leonard Field first came to see him in connection with the sale of Leatherslade Farm on or about 21 June 1963.19 Leonard Field produced to him particulars of sale which had been obtained from Midland Marts Limited, the agents for Rixon, the vendor. Wheater then described negotiations in an account which tallies with that given by Mr Meirion-Williams, the solicitor acting for Rixon. Wheater handed over his file of papers relating to the transaction and on the surface had followed the procedure of a solicitor looking after his client’s interest in the matter of the purchase of property. Bearing in mind that he was dealing with another solicitor this is not surprising. However, it is apparent that everything possible in the circumstances was done by Wheater to screen the identity of his client. He says that Field paid him the deposit money, the sum of £555, in cash which he paid in to his client’s account.

  Subsequently, when interviewed by Detective Chief Superintendent Butler he was unable to recall whether or not he issued Field with a receipt and so far has not produced a copy of any such receipt. He states that Field gave his address as 150 Earls Court Road and does not think he has seen him again since the deposit was paid on 23 July 1963. Prior to this he had written to Mr Meirion-Williams asking for possession upon exchange of contracts and before completion in order that extensive redecoration work could be carried out to the premises.

  When contracts were exchanged Wheater signed their half of the contract on behalf of his client. Although it apparently does not affect the legality of the contract and was accepted by Mr Meirion-Williams, this is a most unusual occurrence. The self-evident effect of it is that any subsequent investigator is denied a sight of Leonard Field’s signature, something which could lead to establishing identity. This point has not yet been put to Wheater but, assuming for the moment that this was a bona fide transaction, one would expect him to be in possession of a signed document from Leonard Field authorising him to sign the contract.

  Although he stated that he had not visited the address given by Leonard Field, 150 Earls Court Road, Wheater admits a connection with the address in that he is acting for a company who are purchasing these premises, which he states consist of a club on the ground and basement floors and letting accommodation for ten rooms on the upper floors. Wheater states that there is no connection between Leonard Field and his managing clerk, Brian Field, but says the two have met in connection with the pending trial of Harry Field on charges of horse doping. He professes to be unaware that his managing clerk, or anyone else from his office for that matter, had been with Leonard Field to view Leatherslade Farm. He didn’t think that his managing clerk had any dealings with Leonard Field in the purchase of these premises, adding that he has little knowledge of conveyancing.20

  Wheater had, of course, contradicted himself in this interview, having told Rixon a different story during their telephone conversation back in July (i.e., that Brian Field had indeed visited the farm in the company of Leonard Field and that clearly Brian Field was closely involved with the conveyancing of the farm.

  This contradiction had come out during Rixon’s police interview and led the police to dig deeper into the affairs of Wheater and Field. When the police began to delve into the address attributed to Leonard Field, 150 Earls Court Road, more inconsistencies and contradictions in Wheater’s story began to surface.

  The premises at 150 Earls Court Road were originally part of the property empire of the notorious slum landlord Peter Rachman.21 When Rachman died on 29 November 1962, his widow, Audrey Rachman, took control of the properties and ran them through a company called Michian Ltd, which was registered at 150 Southampton Row, London WC1.

  In March 1963, Michian Limited began negotiations to sell 150 Earls Court Road to a partnership consisting of Anthony Deane, Brian Hocking and Donald Williams.22 Of the three, Deane was put forward as the nominee purchaser. However, Deane withdrew, leaving the remaining two partners to carry on with the transaction. They formed a company for the purpose, called Jiltslaid Investments Ltd and, on 14 August 1963, Hocking signed an amended contract on behalf of this company.

  According to Wheater, he was acting for Hocking, whom he had represented in a previous property deal, and was also asked by Hocking to look after the formation of Jiltslaid Investments Ltd. Hocking had, however, told a number of others in confidence, including tenants at the property, that he was merely a front man for the real purchaser, i.e. Wheater himself. When put on the spot during his police interview, Hocking gave the following account:

  I am in the process of buying the premises at 150 Earls Court Road, SW5. The negotiations started in about February 1963, and originally a Mr Deane was also in the partnership but he dropped out at the end of June, 1963. A company is being formed for the purchase, named Jiltslaid Investments Ltd, but to date no return of directors has been made.

  James and Wheater Solicitors, of 3 New Quebec Street, W1, are acting for us in the purchase of the property which is being sold with vacant possession, apart from the basement which is used as a club. I paid a £1,000 deposit to Mr Wheater on 2 July, 1963, and I signed a contract on behalf of Jiltslaid Investments Ltd on or about 13 August, 1963. Completion was due within about eight weeks.

  I had asked to be given access to the premises upon signing the contract and this permission was given verbally to Mr Wheater by the vendors’ solicitors. The vendors were a company named Michian Ltd. I have known Sergiusz Paplinski for some years and I knew that he ran 150 Earls Court Road on behalf of the owners. I was given to understand by Sergiusz that the tenants were being given notice to leave so that the premises would be vacant before completion. Sergiusz himself had a first floor studio at the address and was affected by this. Sergiusz found a new flat at 6 Southwell Gardens, SW7, and I introduced him to Mr Wheater who acted for him in negotiating his lease. When Sergiusz was about to leave I visited him at 150 Earls Court Road, and as far as I could tell only he and one other tenant, a woman, were left there. When Sergiusz left he told me the place was empty of tenants. I understood that the owners’ agents were removing furniture. I should mention that the rooms had all been let furnished. I told Sergiusz that I was only a nominee for the purchasers of 150 Earls Court Road, but this was not strictly true. My reasons for this were that I did not wish to disclose the identity of my partner. We have not yet completed the purchase, delay having been caused by difficulty in raising a mortgage. However, we hope to complete within a week or two.23

  When the police interviewed Paplinski, he confirmed what Hocking had originally told him back in the spring of 1963, months before the robbery, and the revised account of his role:

  I lived at 150 Earls
Court Road, SW5 until about the end of July or beginning of August, 1963. I rented a studio room there. Until March 1963, apart from living at the address, I looked after the house for the landlord. He then died and his widow decided to sell the house. Her solicitors began to negotiate the sale and on or about 22 March, 1963, I was sent Notices to Quit to be served on all the tenants there. I knew Brian Hocking who was acting for the purchaser of the house. He told me that the real purchaser was a solicitor named Wheater.

  When I found a new studio flat at my present address, 6 Southwell Gardens, SW7, Brian Hocking introduced me to Mr Wheater and he negotiated the lease for me. I went with Brian Hocking to see Mr Wheater at his office near Marble Arch. When I moved, all the other tenants at 150 Earls Court Road had already left. Brian Hocking knew this as he was arranging for builders to go in and re-decorate. I never discussed with Mr Wheater the fact that I was the last tenant to leave. Brian Hocking would know for himself as I had given him a key to the premises before I left.24

  While these enquiries were in progress, a dramatic discovery was made by a couple in woods just outside Dorking. According to DS McArthur:

  On 16 August, 1963, a discovery was made which definitely connects Brian Field with the train robbers. At about 8.35 am that morning, John Ahern, a Clerk, was riding his motor cycle along a road near Coldharbour, Surrey, accompanied by a pillion passenger, Mrs Esa Nina Hargreaves, a Supervisory Clerk. The motor cycle engine began cutting out and Ahern stopped the bike.