Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
100 YEARS OF THE
THE Met’s Flying Squad is 100 years old but few remember a spectacular early success in 1948 – the Battle of Heathrow – where “the Sweeney” cracked a gold bullion robbery plot, as a book by Dick Kirby recalls. s he drove through the night towards Staines police station, Donald Fish was a worried man and justifiably so. It was July 1948 and the former Scotland Yard detective was the head of British Overseas Airways Corporation security at newly opened London Airport.
And the only repository for bullion and other valuables flown into what is now known as Heathrow Airport was nothing more than a corrugated iron converted aircraft hangar.
Worse, a warehouseman called Anthony Walsh had informed him he had been approached by a notorious criminal who wanted his assistance to steal a shipment of gold bullion from South America.
Fish was losing no time getting to the local police station, where the senior officer reached for his telephone and asked to be connected to Scotland Yard’s elite crimebusting unit, the Flying Squad.
The gang had information a quarter-of-a-million pounds of bullion was to be flown into Heathrow. Whilst planning the job in a pub close to the airport, who should walk in but Walsh – and gang member Alfred Roome, known as Big Alfie, recognised him as a former fellow World War Two POW from a German camp at Genshagen.
Roome suggested Walsh would drug the coffee for the three guards with phenobarbitone tablets. This Walsh agreed to do but later decided to inform his employers.
On the evening of the raid, July 28, Walsh came on duty, having accepted the tablets from the gang.
When the BOAC bullion van arrived, the gang were confident all was going to plan. But the container unloaded into the warehouse was empty. Instead, out of view, 14 Flying Squad officers clambered out and secreted themselves behind packing cases inside the warehouse. Outside were other detectives disguised as BOAC personnel.
AFor their own safety, the three guards had been whisked away, their places taken by Detective Sergeants Charlie Hewett, George Draper and John Matthews of the Flying Squad.
Eventually, just before midnight, the mobile canteen arrived and Walsh obtained a jug full of coffee which he brought back in to the three officers. The coffee was poured into three cups, which were tipped into a corner of the warehouse, in case the gang had doped the coffee themselves.
The officers knew – because Walsh had told them – the gang anticipated the drug would take 20 minutes to work. The three sprawled across the table, feigning unconsciousness, and Walsh slid open the hangar’s giant double doors. The light from the warehouse was the signal for the robbers to move in.
Sidney Cook from Stratford drove the lorry up to the warehouse doors. Dressed in BOAC uniform, he looked round the hangar. Obviously satisfied, the rest of the thieves, 11 in all, trooped in. All had their hands covered. But most unusual was all of them (save Cook) were wearing stockings over their heads – the first time this disguise had been used.
Roome surveyed the three supposedly unconscious guards. DS Charlie Hewett had posed as the security officer carrying the safe keys, and Roome slapped him across the face. Satisfied Hewett was unconscious, Roome relieved him of the safe keys and kicked him twice, after which Hewett and the two other officers had adhesive tape placed over their mouths and were tied up.
One of the other “drugged” officers – John Matthews – failed to fully convince the gang and was promptly cracked over the head.
As another of the gang produced a carafe of water and proceeded to wash out the coffee cups, Roome inserted the key into the safe. As soon as an audible “click” had been heard, satisfying the requirements of the Larceny Act, the cry went up: “We are police officers of the Flying Squad – stay where you are!”
The Flying Squad emerged from their hiding places, the gang leader replied, “Bring the guns out and let them have it – kill the bastards!’ and