Arrests and trial

Following the discovery of evidence at the farm and tip offs from the public, the police quickly began to round up the participants. 

Roger Cordrey was the first gang member to be caught. He was discovered in Bournemouth with a friend who was also arrested despite not being involved. The friend served 24 years in prison, dying in 1970. The police would later acknowledge this miscarriage of justice.

Eight of the gang members and several associates were caught following the discovery of a briefcase, holdall and bag all containing money. The items were traced to Brian Field, who was known by the police due to his association with several criminals, his name was already associated with the robbery because a document indicating that he was the owner of the farmyard hideout. He was arrested and, although he maintained that he did not give the names of the other robbers, his arrest led to the capture of Roy James, Ronnie Biggs, James Hussey and John Daley.

The first trial took place on 20^th January 1964 at the offices of Aylesbury Rural District Council, as the existing court house was too small. The defendants were brought in each day from Aylesbury prison and the proceedings ended on 15^th April 1964 with the judge sentencing 7 of the robbers to 30 years. Participants of the robbery who were sentenced later received shorter terms, which led to some resentment among those that had been caught, especially two who were later found to be not guilty.

Prison escapes

On 12^th August 1964, Wilson escaped from Winson Green Prison in under  3 minutes. A three man team broke into the prison to free him and were never caught. Two weeks later, he went to Paris for plastic surgery and then on to Mexico City where he spent time with Bruce Reynolds and Buster Edwards.

Less than a year later, Ronnie Biggs escaped from Wandsworth Prison. Four prisoners escaped and Biggs also made his way to Paris for plastic surgery.

The pursuit of fugitives
 

James White
Many of the other robbers were on the run or had fled the country, so White was one of the only ones remaining at large in the UK. White was a renowned locksmith and had been on the run for 10 years before the robbery. He continued to be at large for three years and even remained with his family, but was arrested in 1966 and was sentenced to 18 years, considerably less than his fellow offenders. He only had £8,000 remaining from his share.

Buster Edwards
Edwards fled to Mexico with his family but returned to England in 1966 where he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years.

Charlie Wilson
Wilson moved to Canada where he lived under the name Ronald Alloway. His three children and wife would later join him. He would be captured when he invited family to come for a Christmas visit. He was arrested in 1968.

Bruce Reynolds
Reynolds moved to Mexico in 1964 where he evaded the police. He was joined a year later by Buster Edwards. Charlie Wilson also joined them for a while. After the Edwards had moved back to England, the Reynolds decided to go to Canada, before then going on to France. He briefly returned to England, hiding in Torquay before being captured.

Ronnie Biggs
Following his escape from prison, Biggs fled to Paris where he underwent plastic surgery and acquired new identity papers. He settled in Australia in 1966 where he worked as a builder and his wife and children would join him. He would later move to Brazil where he couldn’t be extradited and had a son which gave him legal immunity.

Aged 71 and in ill health, he returned to England. He was arrested on landing and was sent back to prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence. He was released early on compassionate grounds.

Fate of the robbers

Brian Field
After being sentenced, Field served four years of his five year sentence. While in prison, his wife divorced him and would later write an article claiming that she took Roy James to the railway station and that she led a convoy of vans to her house where the gang was joined by the wives and girlfriends for a party.

When Reynolds returned to the UK in 1968, he tried to contact Field as this was the only way he could get in touch with some of the unknown gang members. Field was ambushed when leaving prison by another criminal and went underground, changing his name to Brian Carlton. He and his second wife died in a car crash in 1979.

Charlie Wilson
Wilson was the last of the robbers to be released after serving about one third of his sentence, Wilson returned to the life of crime and was shot in his villa in Spain in 1990. His murder was thought to be drug related.

Buster Edwards
After he was released, he became a flower seller outside Waterloo Station. He would later commit suicide in 1994.

Roy James
James went into motor racing following his release from prison. He later joined with Charlie Wilson and attempted to import gold without paying excise duty, though he was later acquitted. In 1993 he was sentenced for 6 years after shooting and wounding his father in law and attacking his ex wife. He died in 1997 after being released from prison following a heart attack.

Roger Cordrey
Cordrey was the first to be released but his share of the money was discovered by the police and he returned to being a florist on his release.

Bruce Reynolds
Was the last of the robbers to be caught and only served 10 years. He was 47 and helped Gordon Goody get back on his feet before Goody left for Spain. He died aged 81 in 2013.

John Daly
After being acquitted, he found his share of the money had gone and gave up his criminal dealings. He worked in Cornwall until the age of 70.

Wisbey and Hussey
These two fell back into a life of crime after being released.

Bob Welch
Was one of the last convicted in the original trial to be released. He sustained a leg injury in prison which eventually left him disabled.

Gordon Goody
Released from prison and as he had entrusted his share to the right people was able to live a relatively well off life.

The ones who got away

There were several participants who were either never identified or simply got away with the crime.

Mr One or Bill Jennings, his real name was claimed not to be known by the gang members. He was involved in the London Airport Robbery and was largely believed to have been someone called Henry Smith.

Another, Danny Pembroke was believed to been a part of the robbery but there was nothing ever found to associate him with it. He was known by the alias Frank Monroe and according to Reynolds, he was never caught.

The replacement train driver, a man called Pops who was retired, was also never caught. Many suspect he didn't exist, as although Biggs brought him on board to move the train it turned out that he didn't know how to drive that particular type of train. As such, he didn't take part in the actual robbery, which has led to his involvement being scrutinised. 

It is believed up to six of the robbers escaped punishment, these included another unknown person, known simply as the Ulsterman; three individuals who were never caught and never given up by the others; John Daly, who was acquitted and Ronnie Biggs, who escaped and remained at large for several years.

Victims of the robbery

Though no one was killed at the time of the robbery and the gang claimed it was a non violent crime, several of the people working on the train went on to have life long injuries or issues associated with the incident. 

Jack Mills, who was part of the train crew, had constant headaches for the rest of his life due to the trauma, during the robbery he was assaulted, though by who was never ascertained. He later died of leukaemia. Another of the train crew, David Whitby was also assaulted on the night of the robbery and never fully recovered, he died from a heart attack a few years later.

Another victim of the robbery was Bill Boal. He was arrested alongside Roget Cordrey and was guilty of nothing other than being a friend of Cordrey's. Despite maintaining his innocence, he died in prison. Police later found that he wasn't involved in any way and have admitted that his incarcaration was a gross miscarriage of justice. 

One of the carriages that was part of the remaining train, though not one of those that was robbed, is now on display in Peterborough. The Monopoly board recovered from Leatherslade Farm and a £5 stolen in the robbery are on display at the Thames Valley Police Museum.

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