Great Train Robbery

Great Train Robbery
I. The Great Train Robbery
a 10-minute US silent film (1903) which has been called ‘the first real movie’, because it was the first to tell a story. It is a western about criminals who rob a train and then celebrate in town. It was made by the Edison Company and was the main attraction in nickelodeons for several years.
II. the Great Train Robbery
a robbery that took place in southern England in 1963. A group of men attacked a mail train and stole £2.6 million. It is Britain’s most famous robbery because little of the stolen money was ever found. Most of the robbers were caught and sent to prison, but one of them, Ronald Biggs, escaped from prison and lived in Brazil until he was caught and returned to prison in 2001.

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▪ British history
 (August 8, 1963), in British history, the armed robbery of £2,600,000 (mostly in used bank notes) from the Glasgow–London Royal Mail Train, near Bridego Bridge north of London. The 15 holdup men, wearing helmets, ski masks, and gloves, were aided by two accomplices—an anonymous insider who provided sensitive train-schedule and cargo information and another person who provided a country hideaway, Leatherslade Farm in Buckinghamshire. The ring leader was Bruce Reynolds, a known burglar and armed robber.

      The robbers stopped the train by turning off a green track signal and, with batteries, turning on a red signal. The train's fireman went to investigate and was captured, unharmed; the engineer was severely injured by a blow on the head. The robbers took about 120 mail bags by Land Rovers to their farm hideaway, where they divided the loot. Subsequently six thieves were hired to burn down the farmhouse but did such a poor job that the police found everyone's fingerprints. With this and other evidence, 12 of the 15 robbers were caught, convicted, and sent to prison (none serving more than 13 years). One, Ronnie Biggs, escaped from prison in 1965, had his face altered by plastic surgery, and fled first to Paris, then to Australia, and finally to Brazil. In 2001 Biggs returned to the United Kingdom and was rearrested.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Great Train Robbery — Great Train Rob|be|ry, the an event in 1963 when a group of criminals robbed a British mail train and stole over £2 million, which at that time was the largest amount of money ever stolen in the UK …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Great Train Robbery (1963) — The Great Train Robbery is the name given to a £2.6 million train robbery committed on 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England.[1] The bulk of the stolen money was not recovered. It was probably… …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Train Robbery (film) — Infobox Film name = The Great Train Robbery |thumb director = Edwin S. Porter writer = Edwin S. Porter based on the 1896 play by Scott Marble starring = Justus D. Barnes Gilbert M. Anderson producer = distributor = Edison Manufacturing Company… …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Train Robbery — may refer to: NOTOC Events * The Great Gold Robbery of 1855 that took place during a train and sea journey from London to Paris. * Great Train Robbery (1963) that took place in 1963 near Linslade in England. * The Great Dinky Robbery, an incident …   Wikipedia

  • The First Great Train Robbery — Infobox Film | name = The First Great Train Robbery image size = 175px caption = original movie poster director = Michael Crichton producer = John Foreman writer = Michael Crichton starring =Sean Connery Donald Sutherland Lesley Anne Down music …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Train Robbery (novel) — infobox Book | name = The Great Train Robbery title orig = translator = image caption = First edition cover author = Michael Crichton illustrator = cover artist = country = United States language = English series = genre = Crime novel publisher …   Wikipedia

  • The First Great Train Robbery — La Grande Attaque du train d or La Grande Attaque du train d or Titre original The First Great Train Robbery Réalisation Michael Crichton Acteurs principaux Sean Connery Donald Sutherland Lesley Anne Down Alan Webb Scénario Michael Crichton… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Great Train Robbery — Le Vol du grand rapide Le Vol du grand rapide Affiche Titre original The Great Train Robbery Réalisation Edwin S. Porter …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Great Train Robbery — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Der große Eisenbahnraub Originaltitel: The Great Train Robbery Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1903 Länge: 12 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Great Train Robbery — …   Useful english dictionary

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