BULLION THEFT

Evening Star, Issue 22457, 30 September 1936, Page 10

BULLION THEFT

ROBBERY IN LONDON RAILWAY VAN BURGLED Ono morning last month bullion worth about £3,500 was stolen from a railway van in a Clerkenwell street, London. It was evident that the robbery had been carefully planned. The thieves used a barrow to block the passage of the van, and when the driver’s boy left the van to remove the obstruction they took the box in which the metal was packed and made off. INGOTS, GOLD DUST, AND COINS. The box contained gold ingots, coin, and dust, which were being delivered to the Sheffield Smelting Company Ltd., Berry street, Clerkenwell. Though the van was packed with bullion, the thieves stole only one box. It took them only a few seconds to commit the robbery, and they drove away at such a speed that people had to jump in order to escape injury. The bullion was being delivered by a London and North Eastern Railway van. According to the driver, he was in Woolbridge street, Clerkenwell, a very narrow thoroughfare, with room for only one vehicle, when he saw a coster’s barrow drawn across the street. He jumned down to remove the barrow. Almost at the same time a man confronted feint and threatened to

strike him with an Iron bar if he moved. -He heard sounds of something being taken from the back of his van, and soon afterwards saw a motor car being driven away at high speed. Mr A. Millward, a local municipal worker, who was in Woolbridge street at the time, stated that he had difficulty in avoiding being knocked down by the thieves’ car. He was in the middle of the road when a fawn-coloured car suddenly appeared, and he jumped out of its way. If ho had not done so he was sure it would have knocked him down. Ho had no time to notice the number, but saw two or three men in the vehicle as it disappeared round a corner. Inquiries show that there were several men in doorways when the van arrived in the street, and as soon ns it appeared they went up to it. Incidentally, the coster’s barrow was damaged by the escaping car, and was later taken to Clerkenwell Police Station. DRIVER AND BOY INTERROGATED. After the driver of the van and his boy had been questioned at Scotland Yard by detectives, descriptions of four men were sent to all police stations in the metropolitan district, and flying squads and other mobile officers were set out in search of the thieves. A similar robbery was committed about three years ago, when gold valued at £IO,OOO was stolen from a railway parcels van near Gray’s Inn road, on its way from Sheffield to the Sheffield Smelting Company Ltd.