Monday 28 November 2016

The Great Brockville Bank Robbery – 1958

While in Brockville, getting an estimate on my old clock (Decisions about our mantel clock!), we visited the Keystorm Pub, for an early munch. Decorating the walls are newspaper articles about the older history of the pub, when it was a bank! They had a major, news-capturing heist. It was a massive $10 million job.

It was quite the event. The newspaper articles are interesting, and they were framed and placed in the pub.

Brockville has recorded its history.
Let me sum it up.
Brockville News

No guns, no hold-up; they used picks and drills in the dead of the night. The walls were two feet thick, and they broke through the ceiling, and into the steel wall of the vault. Then, using Acetylene torches, and prying open the safety deposit boxes where they stole bonds, cash, and jewellery. They left behind their equipment! With time to wash up, they left behind a wristwatch, a raincoat and a woman's scarf. One robber dropped a receipt.

They arrested Rene Martin, in Montreal 28 hours later. He said there were five people involved in the heist, but he wouldn't name them. Apparently, even up to 1981 the bearer bonds were being sold around the world: Switzerland, Central and South America, and in New York, Miami and Toronto.


8 comments:

Nancy Chan said...

An incredible job carried out by the robber. The police was fast to catch one of them in 28 hours. Must have been frustrating for the police when Rene Martin refused to disclose the names of his accomplices!

Anvilcloud said...

Such events are always a point of pride well after the fact. :)

Debbie said...

what a cool way to decorate - i do enjoy themed places!!!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
As audacious as the Great Train Robbery here in the mid 1960s! YAM xx

William Kendall said...

That was quite a serious operation.

Red said...

They knew how to do things in the old days. But then they didn't have alarms and cameras.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

my goodness -- what a history.

Unknown said...

It was a introduction to our home of the future, in Later days a law firm and Real Estate, I worked in Real Estate and was the Broker there for some time.helen M smith.