maqroll Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Not sure if "R.I.P." is in order, but his passing is notable. An interesting life, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Yeah, a strange kind of folk hero considering what he did was pretty horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 I just read his wiki page in full, an incredible life. I'm surprised there have not been more films or TV series made of it. I watched the recent Mrs Biggs series and found that really interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post coda Posted December 18, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted December 18, 2013 Violent, thieving, remorseless scumbag. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Who? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Yeah, a strange kind of folk hero considering what he did was pretty horrible. Certainly not a folk hero for railway people 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 No sad loss to society. Hope it hurt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 How the tides have turned. Nowadays trains rob people. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 The only reason they got such a long sentence was because they robbed government money. The Tories wanted to make an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Yeah, a strange kind of folk hero considering what he did was pretty horrible. Certainly not a folk hero for railway people It's not even that really. The fact that they beat the shit out a relatively old man with an iron bar (the driver of the train was pushing 60) then left him for dead is a horrible thing to do. It ruined the drivers life, he never recovered from the injuries and he never really went back to work. I don't think Biggs was the one who beat the driver up but he was complicit in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AValon Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 The crime itself was bigger than the man and far more interesting. I don't think Biggs ever understood that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 So sad, who's going to look after his dog, Razzle now? Oh hang on, I'm mixing up with Jonny Briggs. Meh, I couldn't give a shit about the train robber, he was just a tea boy anyway, apparently. What was his sentence and how long did he serve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Hmmmm Mandella "dies" just as his film comes out Biggs "dies" just as there is a well publicised TV programme about the Great Train Robbery If only Alan Mullery had a this is your life coming up soon ............ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Guy I works with's uncle was the detective in charge of the Great Train Robbery investigation. We do call him 'Slipper of the Yard'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted December 18, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2013 Man celebrated for achievement in the field of stealing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 So sad, who's going to look after his dog, Razzle now? Oh hang on, I'm mixing up with Jonny Briggs. Meh, I couldn't give a shit about the train robber, he was just a tea boy anyway, apparently. What was his sentence and how long did he serve? I believe he did 10 years of a 30 year sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 So sad, who's going to look after his dog, Razzle now? Oh hang on, I'm mixing up with Jonny Briggs. Meh, I couldn't give a shit about the train robber, he was just a tea boy anyway, apparently. What was his sentence and how long did he serve? I believe he did 10 years of a 30 year sentence.30 years... Heavy handed sentence that. Served 10, sounds about fair to me. Shouldn't have escaped, don't condone it, and he shouldn't be seen as some kind of hero. Celebrating in Brazil as some kind of cult hero that had escaped British justice was rubbing it in, but was 30 years a just sentence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 For the small part he played in the robbery 30 years was a rediculously long sentence. Mixed views! No hero but I wouldn't condemn him either. It is strange that he was smallest cog in the machine but ends up being the most famous. Guess its more about the escape and the exile in Brazil and the beautiful stripper girlfriend than the actual part he played in the robbery. We do tend to glorify our criminals from the 60s. The Kray twins for instance who were a lot more sinsister and evil than Ronnie Biggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 How the tides have turned. Nowadays trains rob people. nice one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 You have to wonder, if his sentence was more fitting to the crime then he might not have felt inclined to plan an escape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts