South London cabbie revealed to be one of the Great Train Robbers | TaxiPoint Taxi News | UK

It’s been revealed that a member of the notorious Great Train Robbery gang was a south London cabbie.

Former soldier, Danny Pembroke was questioned by police after the robbery, but was never charged due to insufficient evidence.

Pembroke spent 2 years in the US after moving to Florida in the wake of the robbery, but subsequently came back to the UK, living in Kent until his death in 2015, aged 79.

The revelation comes after Pembroke’s son Danny spoke about his father’s involvement during a new Channel 4 documentary on the £2.6million heist.

Pembroke never admitted to his involvement in the robbery during his lifetime despite police questioning.

He descended into crime at the age of 20 and was believed to be a member of criminal gang called the South Coast Raiders.

The gang helped carry out the robbery, which took place at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, in Buckinghamshire on 8 August 1963.

Upon returning from the US, Pembroke settled in Chislehurst, Kent, becoming a black cab driver and raising five children before dying from a heart attack.

According to the Daily Mail, Pembroke’s share of the robbery amounted to £150,000.

Some of the 15 strong gang spent up to 30 years behind bars for the robbery, which saw train driver Jack Mills coshed over the head, leading to serious injuries and possibly contributing to his death in 1970 according to members of his family. 

Bobby Welch is the sole surviving member of the gang who attacked a Royal Mail train on its way from Glasgow to London. Most of the £2.6million haul, which would equate to £46million today, was never recovered.

What happened to the gang?

• Gang leader Bruce Reynolds fled to Mexico and then onto Canada, subsequently returning to the UK. He was caught in Torquay in 1968 and given a 25 year jail term. He was released from prison in 1978 and died in 2013.

• Although a minor figure in the robbery, Ronnie Biggs is probably the most high profile of the gang. After being given a 30 year sentence for his part in the robbery he absconded from Wandsworth prison by jumping over a wall in 1965. He remained a fugitive for 36 years, living in Australia and South America before for returning to the UK in 2001 due to health issues. He was then sent back to prison to serve out his sentence, before being released in 2009 on compassionate grounds after major health complications. He subsequently died in 2013.

• Buster Edwards is the man who allegedly coshed train driver Jack Mills. He returned to the UK, turning himself in to police in 1966 after fleeing to Mexico. After serving 9 years in prison he ran a flower stall in Waterloo. Edwards, who was the subject of the hit film Buster, was found hanged in 1994, aged 62.

• Brian Field was the gangs solicitor, he was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but serving only 5 years after his sentence was reduced. Field did the conveyancing on the farm hideout the gang used after the robbery. He was killed in a car crash in 1979.

• Tommy Wisbey was the gangs “muscle”. He received a 30 year sentence for his part in the robbery. Like Edwards, he ended up running a flower stall before dying due to a stroke in 2017 aged 86.

• Charlie Wilson was the gang’s “treasurer”, distributing the money from the robbery. Refusing to speak during his 1964 court case Wilson was sentenced to a 30 year jail term. He escaped after 4 months inside. He was recaptured in Canada 4 years later, and released from prison in 1978. After moving to Marbella, Spain after his release, he was shot dead by a hitman in 1990.

• Roy James, who was nicknamed “Weasel” was the gangs getaway driver. He was jailed for 30 years after leaving a fingerprint at the gangs hideout. James served 12 years in prison before running a market stall upon his release and then moving to Spain. He was jailed for 6 years in 1993 for his part in a shooting, dying at the age of 62 just after being released.

•  Bill Boal was an engineer who was caught in possession on £141,000. He was jailed for 24 years, which was reduced to 14 on appeal, before succumbing to cancer while in jail in 1970.

• James Hussey was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was released in 1975, going on to run a market stall and opening a restaurant. After a number of criminal convictions, spending further time in prison, he died in 2012 aged 79.

• Gordon Goody was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for his part in the robbery, but only served 12 years. He was released in 1975 and moved to Spain to run a bar. Widely regarded as one of the masterminds behind the robbery, Goody died from heart failure in 2016, aged 86.

• John Wheater was a solicitor, he served a 3 year prison term for conspiring to pervert the course of justice, he is believed to be dead.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Image Author: Spborthwick