Video: '8th August 1963: The Great Train Robbery takes place'

(Thursday, August 8, 1963, just after 3:00 a.m. British Summer Time) — The Great Train Robbery of 1963 took place early this morning at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England, when a gang of 15 bandits, led by Bruce Reynolds, halted a Royal Mail train ferrying mail between Glasgow and London on the West Coast Main Line.

At 3:00 a.m. BST, the group caused the train’s engineer to stop by activating the red signal and covering the green signal.

When the train came to a halt, engineer Jack Mills and his assistant were overpowered, while others in the group boarded the first two coaches hauling mail and tied up the four employees on board.

Video: 'How to successfully rob a train (and get caught) - Great Train Robbery 1963'

The group then uncoupled the engine and two coaches from the other ten cars on the train, and forced the engineer and assistant to move one mile down the line to the Bridego Bridge, where the mail bags were dropped into automobiles waiting beneath.

Other gang members included Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards, Charlie Wilson, Roy James, John Daly, Jimmy White, Ronnie Biggs, Tommy Wisbey, Jim Hussey, Bob Welch and Roger Cordrey, as well as three men known only as numbers “1”, “2” and “3”; two were later identified as Harry Smith and Danny Pembroke. A 16th man, an unnamed retired train driver, was also present.

With careful planning based on inside information from an individual known as “The Ulsterman,” whose real identity has never been established, the robbers escaped with over £2.61 million (at the time worth about $7,300,000; equivalent to £70 million or $87,500,000 in 2023).

Video: 'The Great Train Robbery (1963)'

The bulk of the stolen money was never recovered.

The gang did not use any firearms; Mills was beaten over the head with a metal bar. Mills suffered serious head injuries. After his partial recovery, he returned to work doing light duties. He retired in 1967 and died in 1970 due to an unrelated illness. He never overcame the trauma of the robbery.

Video: 'The Fabulous Sixties: 1963' (series of British robberies at 21:48)

Having set themselves a time-limit of 30 minutes to carry out the robbery, 8 bags were left behind on the train when the gang drove to their hide-out at Leatherslade Farm. Here the loot was divided up, and the robbers dispersed before the police could find them.

However, the majority were later arrested and convicted. The ringleaders were sentenced to 30 years in prison.