The provenance of the lot of GTR memorabilia offered by Lymington, Hampshire auctioneers George Kidner on November 22 could scarcely have been better. The vendor was the son of Detective Sergeant Stan Davies, one of the two Bournemouth officers who caught two of the robbers, William Boal and Roger Cordrey, who were jailed for a combined total of 44 years after a tip-off from one Ethel Clark, the widow of a police officer, from whom the two men were renting a garage.
The lot consisted of DS Davies' notebook from the night of the arrests, as well as newspaper cuttings and copies of photographs relating to the crime. They showed the criminals, the train and the glove that was famously used to tamper with the signals on the line at Sears Crossing.
However, the most evocative element was a £5 bank note, serial number J94 948898 - part of the haul found in Bournemouth - its rarity boosted by the fact that the bulk of the stolen £2.3m (perhaps £30m in today's money), was never recovered. With permission from the Bank of England, DS Davies had purchased the note as a souvenir for £5 1s 9d a year after the crime. Included here was a typed note to that effect.
According to auctioneer George Kidner, this was an almost impossible lot to value, but his estimate of £80-120 proved wide of the mark. Museums, members of the International Bank Note Society and local history enthusiasts made up the bidders on the day.
It was finally secured by a local private buyer at £1800 (plus 15% buyer's premium).
By Henrietta Thatcher
