Ronnie Biggs

Bet fair few people watched the bbc thing tonight and someone gonna repeat the film buster soon.

Davidfriio4 wrote:

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Iggy wrote:

I think that he came in for a bit of adoration from the great British public because the truth is that most of us would happily retire to Spain and Brazil after nicking a load of cash off the bank, I know I would.

Exactly, the feckers who mug us for billions get a pension to allow them to do whatever they like, Biggs was a recidivist with little or no ability to stop, he wasn't violent, yes I know Jack Mills took a slap, I have had worse on many occasions, he never died from it, he had  leukaemia and pneumonia.

he got a lead pipe to the head and could never work again, bit more then a slap

Uh duh!

He did actually work again, he returned to BR but on an intermittent basis and on light duties which some put down to his injuries and others suspected was a case on malingering, perhaps the onset of the serious disease which actually killed him might have had something to do with it?

He did take a "slap", but only one which left him capable of driving the train to the pre-arranged meet at the bridge, Biggs didn't do it according to all accounts. It has been widely reported since that he was struck with an iron bar and was rendered unconscious, that does not fit with accounts at the time. He was able to drive the train and walk away from the incident, his death was reported to the coroner who decided that the events on that night had no influence on his subsequent demise, but lets not let the facts get in the way, eh?

The train robbers got 30 years, I read a report the other day of a guy who killed somebody with one punch in a fight over a woman, he got 3 years. The train robbers were not particularly nice people, but unlike Nelson Mandela, they were not responsible for the deaths of thousands.

Person Of Interest wrote:

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

My old man grew up in Bethnal Green at the same time as the Krays. Although never on the wrong side of the law everyone knew each other. In the mis 60s my Dad and Uncle had a factory in Middlesex Street (Petticoat Lane). A bloke comes to the factory and starts talking about 'insurance'. Didn't take the old man very long to work out it was protection and so my Dad and his brother literally threw the bloke down the stairs. Next day two massive bunches of flowers were sent to the factory fro Ronnie and Reggie, apologising for someone not doing their homework and knowing that local boys owned the factory.

The Krays were proper naughty gangsters, Biggs was just a toe rag.

Interesting post DL. My wife is a right 'Cor blimey, do what, leave it aaat guv' Lambeth girl. She tells me stories of her old man who had a Newsagent in Middlesex street in the 60's.

He regularly had to/decided to/was forced to (delete as appropriate) pay a few quid a week to some skinny little shyster in a cloth-cap, woodbine smkoing little bastard that was allegedly a runner for the Krays, allegedly.

After she told me this story, I told her to put the gin away.   

Lambeff? Sarf Lundan - must be a Gooner.

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Davidfriio4 wrote:

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Iggy wrote:

I think that he came in for a bit of adoration from the great British public because the truth is that most of us would happily retire to Spain and Brazil after nicking a load of cash off the bank, I know I would.

Exactly, the feckers who mug us for billions get a pension to allow them to do whatever they like, Biggs was a recidivist with little or no ability to stop, he wasn't violent, yes I know Jack Mills took a slap, I have had worse on many occasions, he never died from it, he had  leukaemia and pneumonia.

he got a lead pipe to the head and could never work again, bit more then a slap

Uh duh!

He did actually work again, he returned to BR but on an intermittent basis and on light duties which some put down to his injuries and others suspected was a case on malingering, perhaps the onset of the serious disease which actually killed him might have had something to do with it?

He did take a "slap", but only one which left him capable of driving the train to the pre-arranged meet at the bridge, Biggs didn't do it according to all accounts. It has been widely reported since that he was struck with an iron bar and was rendered unconscious, that does not fit with accounts at the time. He was able to drive the train and walk away from the incident, his death was reported to the coroner who decided that the events on that night had no influence on his subsequent demise, but lets not let the facts get in the way, eh?

The train robbers got 30 years, I read a report the other day of a guy who killed somebody with one punch in a fight over a woman, he got 3 years. The train robbers were not particularly nice people, but unlike Nelson Mandela, they were not responsible for the deaths of thousands.

Light duties but he never drove a train again apart from when he drove it to the bridge.
light duties for a train driver there is no such think he couldn't have been a second man because of his injuries they ruined the poor guys life.

Davidfriio4 wrote:

Light duties but he never drove a train again apart from when he drove it to the bridge.
light duties for a train driver there is no such think he couldn't have been a second man because of his injuries they ruined the poor guys life.

Well I suspect the severe case of shingles and the Big L ruined much of the rest of his life mitigated by the £30k+ donated to a newspaper appeal, £30K was a feck load of cash in the sixties, you could have bought half of Crewe for that kind of money.

I'm not saying the chap deserved a slap, I am a pacifist, but vilifying the train robbers because of what happened him is a total distortion.