page_title: Croydon Aerodrome robbery
section_title: The theft
hierarchical_section_title: Croydon Aerodrome robbery / The theft
caption_attribution_description: English: Lock on the strong room door at Imperial Airways site at Croydon Airport.
context_page_description: The Croydon Aerodrome robbery was the theft of £21,000 worth of gold bullion, gold sovereigns and American Eagles from London's Croydon Aerodrome on 6 March 1935. As was customary at the aerodrome, only one security guard was on duty; he held the keys to the strong room, and met each incoming cargo flight. A gang of men had acquired a duplicate set of keys, and were able to enter the strong room in the almost empty aerodrome and leave with the gold.
  Three men were charged with the theft. One was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison, while the other two were acquitted after a witness changed his testimony. Not all the gang members were identified, and the gold was never found.
context_section_description: On the night of 6 March 1935, Francis Johnson was the sole security guard at the aerodrome, as was usual. Three boxes of gold, bound for Paris and Belgium, had been transferred to the strong room of Imperial Airways earlier that day. One set of keys to the strong room was locked in the superintendent's drawer, and a second set was in the possession of Johnson. He was asleep until shortly after 4 am, when a German aircraft arrived. He then left the terminal to receive the flight. At that time, the vault was locked.
  A few hours later, the strong room was found unlocked, and £21,000 (equivalent to £1,200,000, in 2016) worth of gold bullion, gold sovereigns and American Eagles, which Machinery and Technical Transport Limited had entrusted to Imperial Airways, was discovered to be missing.
caption: John Tann lock on Strong Room door at Croydon Airport
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