Gordon Goody was the mystery man of the Great Train Robbery, the tall, enigmatic figure behind the most notorious theft in British history. Regarded by his partners as tough and fearless, he has kept his silence for five decades. Until now.
Born in England but raised in rural Northern Ireland, Goody rose to the rank of army sergeant during National Service and spent a stint in the merchant navy. But he chose a life of crime and, undeterred by a dose of the birch in Wormwood Scrubs, became one of the most prolific robbers in London. He soon befriended a group of like-minded young thieves, in particular Bruce Reynolds, Charlie Wilson and Buster Edwards, who haunted Soho’s coffee bars in their sharp suits and sporty cars. Goody was the staunchest of allies, a hard man who could terrify the bravest security guard, withstand the most brutal interrogation and never panicked in a tight spot.
After pulling off a spectacular payroll robbery at London Airport dressed as City gents, Goody and his gang were caught but walked free thanks to some creative alibi evidence. They were then offered the job of a lifetime: details of a Glasgow to London mail train laden with cash, provided by an enigmatic figure called The Ulsterman whose identity Goody reveals for the first time. Two gangs came together to rob the train and in the early hours of 8 August 1963, it was halted at an isolated spot in Buckinghamshire. They stole £2,631,684, worth around £40 million today. The bulk of it has never been recovered. The rest is history.
Goody was ultimately gaoled for twenty-five years for conspiracy to rob and thirty years concurrent for armed robbery. He served twelve years, then moved to Spain on his release, where he dabbled in the lucrative cannabis trade. Today he lives quietly in the sun. This is his remarkable story.
Born in England but raised in rural Northern Ireland, Goody rose to the rank of army sergeant during National Service and spent a stint in the merchant navy. But he chose a life of crime and, undeterred by a dose of the birch in Wormwood Scrubs, became one of the most prolific robbers in London. He soon befriended a group of like-minded young thieves, in particular Bruce Reynolds, Charlie Wilson and Buster Edwards, who haunted Soho’s coffee bars in their sharp suits and sporty cars. Goody was the staunchest of allies, a hard man who could terrify the bravest security guard, withstand the most brutal interrogation and never panicked in a tight spot.
After pulling off a spectacular payroll robbery at London Airport dressed as City gents, Goody and his gang were caught but walked free thanks to some creative alibi evidence. They were then offered the job of a lifetime: details of a Glasgow to London mail train laden with cash, provided by an enigmatic figure called The Ulsterman whose identity Goody reveals for the first time. Two gangs came together to rob the train and in the early hours of 8 August 1963, it was halted at an isolated spot in Buckinghamshire. They stole £2,631,684, worth around £40 million today. The bulk of it has never been recovered. The rest is history.
Goody was ultimately gaoled for twenty-five years for conspiracy to rob and thirty years concurrent for armed robbery. He served twelve years, then moved to Spain on his release, where he dabbled in the lucrative cannabis trade. Today he lives quietly in the sun. This is his remarkable story.
