The Train Robbery

Part 4

We gathered the others into what had, many years before, been the farmhouse kitchen. In one corner, there was a kitchen range which hadn't been lit for many a long year. My mother would have hated to see the state of it. In another a sink that hadn't seen water since the old Queen was on the throne. There were some tea boxes and damaged chairs littering the room, abandoned when the last residents had left . The men gathered expectantly. Mr King prompted me to give them a summary of what had happened with Captain Adams. Unaccustomed to speaking to groups, I gave a brief account, covering the details, but without over much elaboration. That wasn't necessary. The men growled their disapproval. "So what to do with Captain Adams?" asked Mr King. The responses did not seem auspicious for Captain Adams.

I looked around this impromptu jury. They called themselves ex-soldiers, but in reality, they had never wanted to be soldiers. I remembered my platoon at the start of my war service. They were clerks, railway porters, bus conductors, shop assistants. These men were the same. All had been ordinary men before the war, but they had undergone some horrific experiences. Life at the Front made you view life differently. Death was a regular hazard and constant companion. We had all seen acquaintances, friends who had suddenly fallen to the ground and died in front of us. It wasn't that life was cheap – it was just we had no time for sympathy.

As ex-soldiers, used to military discipline, the initial unanimous verdict was death by firing squad for the traitor, until they were slowly convinced by Mr King that he was needed to contact the others. "I always knew he was a bad lot, that Captain Adams" Billy said. "Too smooth by half."

So, reluctantly, it was decided that he should live. Then Mr King declared that Captain Adams would receive half of the original amount he had been promised. The rest of us would receive rather more than we were originally told. The adrenalin of the occasion has loosened Mr King's purse strings.

Captain Adams was half-marched half-dragged by Billy and a friend from the barn into the kitchen and deposited carelessly onto a tea-box. The gag was removed. To give him credit, he maintained his composure and looked assured. He didn't beg for his life or claim innocence.

"You betrayed us," said Mr King in a low voice. "I am most disappointed.. You were the second-in-command. The one I trusted. We have discussed what to do with you. Some are for a firing squad." He gave a stern look. "But, I am persuaded that we need you to provide the details of the rest of the team to supply them with their rewards. And you will still get paid. Half of what was originally agreed" Captain Adams nodded and smiled in acceptance.

Mr King handed out £10 to each of us in coins as advances. "A lot more coming in a few months, lads, if all goes well"

Mr King drove Captain Adams and Billy to Edinburgh, where Captain Adams said he had kept the contact details of all the gang. I drove the others back to Glasgow in a Vauxhall Velox. A new day was dawning; the world was looking a happier place. All of us were silent. We were tired but happy. I abandoned the Velox a few miles from my home and caught an early morning tram home.

I returned to work at the bakery. A few days later, with the confidence that comes with riches, I proposed marriage to Katy, a woman who also worked in the bakery. I had had my eye on her for a while. She was a small shy widow whose husband had been killed at Loos, the battle where my brother died. I'd known her husband vaguely before the war. A good man. Once she accepted, I started looking at properties in the suburbs. One handy for the trams, as I knew my mother would find it hard to move away from the busy streets.

Surprisingly, there was no great hue and cry over the robbery. It wasn't mentioned in the newspapers. I suspected the authorities were too embarrassed about the incident to pursue us. That suited me. And while it was a lot of money to us, it was mere loose change to the government.

A few months later, I received an invite to Sloans. There was to be another meeting of the Sons of Mars. This time, it was a more jovial atmosphere; instead of beer and sandwiches there was champagne and vol au vents. I recognised most of the attendants, but some were new and must have been involved in other parts of the operation. This time, we received small suitcases filled with used notes. After this, Mr King was allocated three loud and boisterous cheers by the assembly. Captain Adams wasn't present for this convivial reunion. Not long after he had given Mr King the contact details of the gang members, he had met with an unfortunate accident. He had somehow managed to shoot himself in the head, twice.