General Chat

British criminal Ronnie Biggs, best known for his part in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, has died aged 84, the Press Association has reported.

The drama about the train robbery starts tonight & is over two nights. We had earmarked it to watch,

I think he will be remembered more for his escape from justice more than his part in the train robbery......me too Shirley

The train had called at our local station to pick up mail before it was robbed - Think on hindsight it was more of a Great Bungled Train Robbery with lots of mistakes made by the robbery team

And who remembers the poor train driver who eventually died as a result of his injuries?

Nothing 'romantic' about the whole criminal business!

Death always wins.

I doubt if any world leaders will attend his funeral.

He was basically a small time crook who played a minor role it the great train robbery, his notoriety did not come from his part in the robbery, he only gained notoriety after his escape from prison from the way he ran circles round all the attempts that were made to recapture him, these kept him in the limelight and his death and funeral will once again ensure he is front page news.

He has never shown any remorse, instead he has revelled in the publicity he got and boasted about being part of the gang who carried out the great train robbery.

My thoughts today are not for Ronnie Biggs, they are for the family and friends of the train driver Jack Mills.

R.I.P. Jack Mills <3

exactly Allan - my son is a train driver

The Great Train Robbery, was carried out by a bunch of small time robbers the reason they got such long sentences was because the theft was against the crown, a Royal Mail train was robbed. Had they of got a shorter sentence, their notoriety wouldn't have been great, and the robbers wouldn't have been so "interesting" and we wouldn't even know Ronnie Biggs had died. At the time of the trial, then the sentence, the public were unhappy with the length of the sentences the robbers had got.
My Grandad had a connection with one of the robbers, and an uncle was friends with another. I can remember the day of the robbery, I was 12 it was major news.

He was a small time thief and crook, he was a con man who mocked the law of our country. He only gave himself up when he became ill to allow him to receive the medical care he needed. My thoughts today are not for Ronnie Biggs, they are for the family and friends of the train driver Jack Mills.

Biggs will never escape death's prison.

He was bad from the start - dishonourably discharged from the RAF after deserting and breaking into a chemists shop, then a life of crime. I so hope the BBC don't try and turn him into some sort of folk hero

Staffs Col - like you I am hoping the media, especially the BBC & Sky news channels, do not try and portray him as some sort of hero.

I personally do not think his funeral should be broadcast, alas looking at the media's track record, no doubt it will be all over our television screens and the front pages of the papers :-|

lets remember he only came back to use our NHS services
he was a small time crook with no morals

my sympathies are with the train drivers family
:-( :-( :-(

I have to add, I do have sympathy with Ronnie Biggs' family, they didn't rob a train they have lost a Son/ Father/Husband/Brother/Uncle/friend, just like any of us who have lost a loved one, they grieve just the same for there loss, as we would for our losses, and Just for the record, Ronnie Biggs was never tried for murder, nor were any of the other train robbers.

It doesn't mean I agree with violence or wrong doing, just means I have empathy for those who have lost a loved one whatever a loved one did, those left behind still loved them.

I'd hate to think that if any of my family did something awful, I would, or could, turn off my love I have for them, my love for my family is too deep to turn off, it'll always be there, whatever they did, I may not like what they did, I may hate what they did, but my love would stay.

He had no remorse for what he did and he enjoyed his life on the run.
Yes his family will be sad and will grieve but I don't see that his death is newsworthy for the rest of us.

I shan't watch the programme about him.

Lynda, whilst the Biggs family may not have had any involvement in the robbery, his wife and children fled with him to Australia after he escaped from prison. I think that at least for his wife comes under the category of aiding and abetting a convicted criminal who was also an escapee from lawful custody.

Australian TV has already done a 'mocumentary' about his time in Australia.

I didn't bother watching!

It has always been my opinion that it is only because it was government money that the sentencing was so harsh, it doesn't make it right what they did and it is just my opinion.

ZZzzz, I agree about the length of prison sentences where government is concerned.

The same thing happened in WA in the early 1980's when the three Mickleberg brothers received sentences of 20 16 and12 years (Google Perth mint swindle)

Eventually all three convictions were overturned. The value of the gold was about $800,000 at the time!

The family obviously loved him Allan, and wanted to be with him, the family hadn't been involved in the robbery, so were at liberty to go wherever they wanted in the world.

Think you're right there ZZzzz :-D