R.I.P

Great Train Robber Dies In Spain, Aged 86

The 86-year-old was part of a gang that stole £2.6m from a Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London in 1963.

14:09, UK, Friday 29 January 2016

£2.6m was taken from a Glasgow to London mail train in 1963

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Gordon Goody, one of the gang that carried out the Great Train Robbery, has died in southern Spain.

The 86-year-old ran a beach bar in the town of Mojacar after serving time for the 1963 heist - one of the most famous in British criminal history.
He died at his home on Friday morning, surrounded by friends, a statement from Mojacar's town hall said.

Goody was released from prison in 1975

It paid a glowing tribute to him and did not specify the cause of death.
"All who knew him were struck by his friendliness, his love for his friends and family and the many pets he rescued from the street," the statement said.

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1. 
   A recent image of the Bridego Bridge near Ledburn in Buckinghamshire which was used in the robbery.
2. 
   Gallery: Great Train Robbery 50th Anniversary

   The train at Cheddington station before it was attacked in the night by 15 armed robbers.
3. 
   Photo dated 10 August, 1963 of coaches of the Glasgow to Euston train involved in the £2.5m mail train heist two days earlier.
4. 
   The interior of the Royal Mail carriage where the Great Train Robbery took place.
5. 
   The train was stopped on a bridge during the robbery so that it could be unloaded.
32. 
    A recent image of the Bridego Bridge near Ledburn in Buckinghamshire which was used in the robbery.
33. 
    Gallery: Great Train Robbery 50th Anniversary

    The train at Cheddington station before it was attacked in the night by 15 armed robbers.

"He was a complete gentleman, far removed from the image that those who didn't know him might have had from those difficult years that marked a large part of his life.
"We will always remember his smile and his big heart that was always open to those around him."
Goody, one of the last surviving members of the gang, was sentenced to 30 years for his part in stealing £2.6m from a Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London.
The former hairdresser was released in 1975 and set up a beach bar four years later in Spain.

The gang, masterminded by Bruce Reynolds, stopped the overnight train as it passed through the Buckinghamshire countryside near Cheddington.
It was driven over a mile to Bridego Bridge, where the robbers unloaded £2,631,684 in used notes - worth around £46m in today's money.

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1. 
   Biggs in March 2013, gesturing to photographers as he arrives to attend the funeral of the mastermind of the robbery, Bruce Reynolds.
2. 
   Gallery: Biggs: Criminal's Life In Pictures

   Ronnie Biggs with police after he was arrested not long after the Great Train Robbery in 1963.
3. 
   Police mugshots of Biggs are seen on display at The National Archives.
4. 
   This is the Glasgow-London Royal mail train attacked by Biggs and the rest of the gang.
5. 
   Train driver Jack Mills, the hero of the attack, rests at home after the robbery. He never worked again.
22. 
    Biggs in March 2013, gesturing to photographers as he arrives to attend the funeral of the mastermind of the robbery, Bruce Reynolds.
23. 
    Gallery: Biggs: Criminal's Life In Pictures

    Ronnie Biggs with police after he was arrested not long after the Great Train Robbery in 1963.

The train driver, Jack Mills, was struck with an iron bar and died a few years later.
:: Ronnie Biggs: Great Train Robber Dies Aged 84
Twelve members of the gang were jailed for a total of more than 300 years.
More than one broke out of prison, including Ronnie Biggs, who spent over 30 years on the run before he finally returned to Britain in 2001 to face arrest.
Reynolds returned in 1968, and was arrested in Torquay and jailed for 25 years.

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