1855 thieves stole 224 pounds 102 kg of gold from a train trave 05 15
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1855 171 years ago Selected Events May 15 2 sources

Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England.

On May 15, in the year 1855, Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of May 15, a notable event in this corner of history.

The Great Gold Robbery took place on the night of 15 May 1855, when a routine shipment of three boxes of gold bullion and coins was stolen from the guard's van of the service between London Bridge station and Folkestone while it was being shipped to Paris. The robbers comprised four men, two of whom—William Tester and James Burgess—were employees of the South Eastern Railway (SER), the company that ran the rail service. They were joined by the planners of the crime: Edward Agar, a career criminal, and William Pierce, a former employee of the SER who had been dismissed for being a gambler.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 15, 1855 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 24 February 2026.

On This Date in History

Type Year Date Event
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Historical Events 2023 May 15 The UN commemorates the Palestinian Nakba Day for the first time
Notable Deaths 2022 May 15 Frank Curry, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 15 Kay Mellor, English actress (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2021 May 15 Oliver Gillie, British journalist and scientist (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2020 May 15 Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2017 May 15 Herbert R
Notable Deaths 2015 May 15 Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 15 Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 15 Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 15 Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 15 Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 15 Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1933)
Historical Events 2013 May 15 An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days
Notable Deaths 2013 May 15 Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 15 Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 15 Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 15 Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (born 1918)
Historical Events 2010 May 15 Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo
Notable Deaths 2010 May 15 Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 15 Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (born 1950)
Selected Events 2010 May 15 Three days before her seventeenth birthday, Jessica Watson arrived in Sydney after sailing non-stop and unassisted aroun
Notable Deaths 2009 May 15 Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 15 Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (born 1964)
Historical Events 2008 May 15 California becomes the second U
Notable Deaths 2008 May 15 Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 15 Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 15 Will Elder, American illustrator (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 15 Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (born 1933)
Notable Births 2006 May 15 Haerin, Korean singer
Notable Deaths 2006 May 15 Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (born 1961)
Historical Events 2004 May 15 Arsenal F
Selected Events 2004 May 15 Arsenal became the first football team in England's top flight to finish a season undefeated since Preston North End did
Notable Deaths 2003 May 15 June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (born 1929)
Notable Births 2002 May 15 Chase Hudson, American internet celebrity, singer, actor
Historical Events 2001 May 15 A CSX EMD SD40-2 8888 rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some tank cars with
Notable Births 2000 May 15 Dayana Yastremska, Ukrainian tennis player
Notable Births 1999 May 15 Anastasia Gasanova, Russian tennis player
Notable Births 1998 May 15 Lucrezia Stefanini, Italian tennis player
Notable Deaths 1998 May 15 Earl Manigault, American basketball player (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 1998 May 15 Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1919)
Historical Events 1997 May 15 The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in h
Historical Events 1997 May 15 The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir
Notable Births 1997 May 15 Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer
Notable Births 1997 May 15 Scott Drinkwater, Australian rugby league player
Notable Births 1996 May 15 Birdy, English singer-songwriter
Notable Deaths 1996 May 15 Charles B

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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