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1959 Bank heist

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Any one ever read about a robbery at a Sheffield Williams & Deacon's bank- I assume the Church Street one-in 1959 ? The takings were said to be 50,000 pounds, a lot of money in 1959 and that would be 1.3 million today.

Edited by St Petre
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Someone had a blog about the robbery with news reports, witness statements, photographs etc. Just did a quick search and it seems to have disappeared but it must be archived somewhere.

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wow never heard about this before...my intrigues been tickled

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From what I recall of this robbery it was an austin car that belonged to the bank. A four man team attacked the car with coshes and jemmies, the car was delivering wages to various firms in Sheffield.

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I found an article about the trial in the Guardian of 8 August 1959.

 

It was a robbery of a "bank car", rather than a bank as such. £49,500 was stolen.

 

Those on trial were James Jennings (29), a London street trader; Patrick Moore (39), a London bookie's assistant; and Ronald Strongman (32), described as a "general dealer", also from London.

 

Jennings was charged with conspiracy, being an accessory, and procuring Moore and Strongman and others to commit the robbery, and the others with actually carrying out the robbery. Jennings doesn't seem to have been present when the robbery happened.

 

On 8 July 1959, Williams Deacon bank employees had collected money from other banks and were taking it to the Attercliffe Road branch. Some of the money was in a kitbag locked in the car boot, the rest in a suitcase in the car.

 

A Jaguar car overtook the bank car and forced it to stop. "A number of men" jumped out, among them Moore and Strongman. They smashed the bank car windows with pieces of wood, grabbed the suitcase, opened the boot and took the kitbag, and then drove off in a van.

 

The van was found abandoned on wasteland,and had been obtained by Jennings in London using a false name and a stolen driving license. The Jaguar had been stolen on 12 June in Marylebone, London.

 

Jennings told police he'd been paid £80 for his part.

 

Clearly others were involved, but those put on trial did not reveal their names.

 

---------- Post added 16-09-2018 at 18:29 ----------

 

The robbery itself was reported in the Guardian of 9 July 1959:

 

Bandits armed with coshes forced a bank car on to the pavement, smashed the windows, and then snatched £49,000 in Sheffield yesterday.

 

The robbery took place about a mile from the city centre. The bank car was carrying money from Williams Deacon's Bank in the centre of the city to a branch in the suburbs. The car, an Austin A.90, was followed along Woodburn Road by a grey Jaguar car which had been stolen. After forcing the Austin on to the pavement six men leapt from the Jaguar, smashed the Austin's windows and windscreen with coshes and, while a struggle was going on in the vehicle, two bags containing the money were snatched and put into a van which had pulled up behind. The Jaguar was left behind by the bandits, who escaped in the van, later found abandoned in a back alley.

 

"Like a gangster film"

 

Arnold Battle, a plasterer, who was working near, said the attack was "just like a gangster film."

 

The Assistant Chief Constable of Sheffield, Mr W. Farnham, said the bandits opened the boot of the Austin with a key. How they knew the number of the key the police had still to find out. The men removed one bag from the boot and another from inside the car. He thought the men, after abandoning the van, had escaped finally in a Ford Zephyr. The Jaguar, which had false number plates, had been stolen in London about a month ago. The van had been hired in London on Tuesday. About £49,000 in £1 and 10s notes had been stolen, but the thieves left £2,000 in silver and copper.

 

Mr Parnham added that it was a good job, well planned, and suggested expertness. "We think it is a London job. Sheffield has never had a snatch of this type before."

Edited by Dannyno

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I found an article about the trial in the Guardian of 8 August 1959.

 

It was a robbery of a "bank car", rather than a bank as such. £49,500 was stolen.

 

Those on trial were James Jennings (29), a London street trader; Patrick Moore (39), a London bookie's assistant; and Ronald Strongman (32), described as a "general dealer", also from London.

 

Jennings was charged with conspiracy, being an accessory, and procuring Moore and Strongman and others to commit the robbery, and the others with actually carrying out the robbery. Jennings doesn't seem to have been present when the robbery happened.

 

On 8 July 1959, Williams Deacon bank employees had collected money from other banks and were taking it to the Attercliffe Road branch. Some of the money was in a kitbag locked in the car boot, the rest in a suitcase in the car.

 

A Jaguar car overtook the bank car and forced it to stop. "A number of men" jumped out, among them Moore and Strongman. They smashed the bank car windows with pieces of wood, grabbed the suitcase, opened the boot and took the kitbag, and then drove off in a van.

 

The van was found abandoned on wasteland,and had been obtained by Jennings in London using a false name and a stolen driving license. The Jaguar had been stolen on 12 June in Marylebone, London.

 

Jennings told police he'd been paid £80 for his part.

 

Clearly others were involved, but those put on trial did not reveal their names.

 

---------- Post added 16-09-2018 at 18:29 ----------

 

The robbery itself was reported in the Guardian of 9 July 1959:

Thank you Dannyno for finding this information.

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Thank you Dannyno for finding this information.

 

Wouldn't you know the robber's car was a Jag? I think J. Arthur Rank was behind it.:hihi:

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Wouldn't you know the robber's car was a Jag? I think J. Arthur Rank was behind it.:hihi:

 

If they used the Jag as a getaway car I wonder why they didn't 'getaway' in it instead of leaving it.

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Damn... you caught me at last!

 

You're nicked son, hand over your pension book before the cuffs go on.:cool:

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